Adopted at the 119th Annual Conference

San Diego, CA
October 3, 2012

The Importance of the Terrorist Screening Center to State, Local, and Tribal Homeland Security Efforts
Submitted by: Board of Officers
BOARD.008.a12

WHEREAS, as evidenced by repeated attempts by terrorists to attack the United States homeland, the threat of terrorism is still very real, and state and local law enforcement officers must remain vigilant at all times; and

WHEREAS, three of the 9-11 hijackers – Mohammed Atta, Ziad Jarrah, and Hani Hanjour – were stopped by state or local law enforcement for routine traffic violations in the days leading up to the deadliest terrorist attack in US history, before there was the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center or today's active info-sharing program; and

WHEREAS, the Terrorist Screening Center maintains a list of all known or suspected terrorists in the world, and works with state and local law enforcement officials to monitor terrorist activity through the NCIC interface; and

WHEREAS, the Terrorist Screening Center maintains a call center that is operational around the clock so that law enforcement officers can get information on whether they may be dealing with a known or suspected terrorist; and

WHEREAS, known or suspected terrorists are encountered on average 50 to 60 times each day and have been encountered in all 50 states; and

WHEREAS, evidence shows that in many regions of the country, some law enforcement officials are not contacting the Terrorist Screening Center when a positive match may be triggered by an NCIC query; and

WHEREAS, known or suspected terrorists who are not identified during routine law enforcement stops represents a significant threat to the US Homeland and a monumental lost opportunity in terms of counterterrorism and intelligence collection; and WHEREAS, many police departments and law enforcement agencies have changed training programs and adopted new standards of procedure to require all officers to contact the Terrorist Screening Center whenever an NCIC query triggers a potential match; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 119th Annual Conference, recommends that, in an effort to strengthen homeland security, enhance officer safety, increase information-sharing, and help support US counterterrorism objectives, all police departments in the US are encouraged to cooperate to the greatest extent possible with the Terrorist Screening Center; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police encourages all police leaders to make coordination with the Terrorist Screening Center a mandatory subject in training, and that new standards of procedure are implemented to underscore the critical nature of working with the Terrorist Screening Center; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police believes strongly that Terrorist Screening Center is a vital tool that will enhance the capabilities of the state, local and tribal law enforcement officials as they serve as the first line of defense against those who wish to harm our country.