WHEREAS, terrorism is a growing worldwide concern and an increasing threat to every citizen’s individual security. In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, the threat of domestic terrorism is a significant concern in the United States from some domestic extremist groups; and

WHEREAS, over the years, the federal leadership in combating terrorism has been invaluable. The law enforcement community cannot afford to allow the federal government’s effectiveness in the domestic terrorism arena to be eroded by those who mistrust the federal government. It is, therefore, important for the IACP, recognized by many as the national voice for local law enforcement, to raise the level of public awareness about the potential for terrorism and other unlawful acts by some of these domestic extremist groups. Local law enforcement must publicly protect its partnership role with the federal law enforcement community in the fight against terrorism and the illegal activities of some domestic extremist groups; and

WHEREAS, a key strategy in dealing with acts of terrorism whether they be domestic or international is to combine the front line effort of the street police officer, who is in the best position to surface raw intelligence, with the federal law enforcement’s capacity to analyze trends and patterns of criminal activity; and

WHEREAS, professional training using terrorist profiles and criminal intelligence products in the hands of front line police officer are indispensable tools in dealing with the terrorism threat. A reinvigoration of training and an enhancement of existing programs of intelligence collection and dissemination would be instrumental in enhancing the police response to the threat; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 103rd annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, encourages law enforcement jurisdictions worldwide, and in particular police standards and training commissions, to enhance their recruit and in-service training programs, and to develop operating policies to rapidly collect, analyze, and forward information to the FBI, and other international, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for follow-up and the ultimate dissemination of focused criminal intelligence products.