Assignment

You are a mid-ranking member of a large city's police department. Since the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, you have become a bit of an expert on the act and have served as a point person for your precinct when police activities related to the act are necessary. A local university will be holding a debate on the merits of the PATRIOT Act and has asked you to attend to debate the positive merits of the act and evaluate its effectiveness as it relates to preparedness for terrorism response operations.

You are one of three members of a panel speaking in favor of the act. You will be debating with another panel of three who will be debating against the act, in favor of its repeal. What arguments in favor of the act will you make?

What do you feel will be your strongest arguments, and which do you think will be more difficult to defend? Now, put yourself on the other panel and consider why you might argue against the act and in favor of its repeal. What arguments would you make against the act?

Which one of your arguments against the act might be the most difficult to defend?

Prepare a 12-slide PowerPoint presentation to highlight your key points. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced using APA formatting; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.