Assignment: Centervale and Counterterrorism

It's 4:15 p.m., and a "Breaking News" alert flashes across the television channels. Jim Jones, one of the local news anchors, interrupts the regularly scheduled program with devastating news: The city of Gainsville, a high-profile and very prosperous neighboring city, has suffered a terrorist attack.

Jones reads the report, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have some terrible news. Moments ago, two college students, believed to be part of an unidentified terrorist group, launched an attack on the city of Gainsville. The details of the attack are still being collected, but what we know now is that they have struck at the heart of Gainsville. The Channel 12 news station was the first to be attacked. Reports are coming in that a man posing as a member of the cleaning staff gained entry into the lobby of the building, removed an AK-47 from a trash bin, and began to fire indiscriminately. As the wounded victims of this tragic event were rushed to the hospital for care, a woman posing as a sick patient in Gainsville Memorial Hospital emergency room removed her jacket, revealing a vest covered in C-4 explosives, seconds before committing suicide by setting off the bomb, killing and injuring several people. The tragedies are just unfolding, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are all on the scene. We are on location at Channel 12 and at Gainsville Memorial . . ."

The mayor of Centervale is concerned that there may be more attacks on the way because Centervale is home to one of the largest nuclear power plants in the country. Some of the Centervale city officials are concerned about the cost of protecting Centervale's nuclear plant in conjunction with other important structures. Internal conflicts have arisen between some county commissioners on the issue of how to fairly allocate funds to Centervale's structures that are under threat, such as the airport and water systems.

As part of the mayor's Terrorism Assessment and Response Team, your first report assessed the risk to a particularly high-profile venue in Centervale. Now, it has become critical to work with a second team, which is analyzing information to assess the threat and the counterterrorism efforts toward protecting Centervale's nuclear power plant.

A formal report on the group's analysis will be given to your supervisor, the mayor, city officials, and other key stakeholders in a few hours. You are provided with a list of criteria for the report, and you begin your search by looking at the US Department of State's 2003 Global Terrorism Report, located on this website: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/31912.pdf

Use the Argosy University's online library to obtain additional resources to complete your report.

The City of Centervale is counting on your report to help assess the complexities of this situation and any potential risk to Centervale's nuclear power plant.

Here's What You Need to Do . . .

Prepare a report (8- to10-page) considering the following points:

1. Perform research on women suicide bombers in the United States. Evaluate how likely Centervale is to experience a female suicide bomber. Discuss where female suicide bombers are common and what other roles females from nations that support terrorism may play in terrorist operations in the United States.

2. Research the cost of counterterrorism in a post-9/11 era. Has the cost to protect the nation's nuclear power plants risen since 9/11? Explain why the general public could interpret blowing up nuclear power plants, generally speaking, as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Based on your research, suggest a method to protect Centervale's nuclear power plant from attack without bankrupting the city.

3. Research the political aspects of terrorism and the differences of opinions that stakeholders might have when it comes to strategies for protecting Centervale's most important venues. Explain how terrorism destabilizes a government. Further, explain how the manner in which a city's government handles a terrorist attack (i.e., New York City) influences its mayor's or city official's political position.

4. Recommend a cost-effective antiterrorism training solution for the Centervale Police Department. Discuss how the training can be a proactive approach to deterrence and a reactive approach to an attack.