The challenge of terrorism against the United States led the government to create the Department of Homeland Security with the hope of leveraging federal, state, and local police agencies, intelligence agencies, and immigration agencies to cooperate in communicating findings and creating joint efforts to stop threats of terrorism or confronting a terrorist attack.

The current threat of terrorism has made many senators and representatives in Congress think about the United States combining all of its police agencies into one national police organization. The centralization of power would stop the discombobulated nature of the 3 government levels of police and provide a clear, overall standard on how to police not only terrorism acts but crime in general.

Please answer the questions below. Give your opinion concerning the topics, and provide examples. Discuss your findings as far as any statistics that you list concerning the victims. You have an opportunity to discuss your thoughts about what options might be taken concerning victims of racial profiling. Be sure to back up your opinions with facts from cited sources.

• Do you believe that the establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically has changed policing? How? Why? Provide examples.
• Have the number of victims of racial profiling increased over the last decade?
• What laws and services are available for victims of racial profiling?
• What other actions might be taken on behalf of victims of racial profiling?
• Has the Department of Homeland Security helped fight terrorism, or has it simply duplicated the efforts and jurisdictions of other agencies? How has it helped?