PARTNERS
 


U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the most significant transformation of the U.S. government since 1947, when Harry S. Truman merged the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces into the Department of Defense to better coordinate the nation's defense against military threats.
DHS represents a similar consolidation, both in style and substance. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks against America on September 11th, 2001, President George W. Bush decided 22 previously disparate domestic agencies needed to be coordinated into one department to protect the nation against threats to the homeland.
The new department's first priority is to protect the nation against further terrorist attacks. Component agencies will analyze threats and intelligence, guard our borders and airports, protect our critical infrastructure, and coordinate the response of our nation for future emergencies.
Besides providing a better-coordinated defense of the homeland, DHS is also dedicated to protecting the rights of American citizens and enhancing public services, such as natural disaster assistance and citizenship services, by dedicating offices to these important missions.

The Border and Transportation Security directorate will bring the major border security and transportation operations under one roof, including:

· The U.S. Customs Service (Treasury)
· The Immigration and Naturalization Service (part) (Justice)
· The Federal Protective Service (GSA)
· The Transportation Security Administration (Transportation)
· Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Treasury)
· Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (part)(Agriculture)
· Office for Domestic Preparedness (Justice)

The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate will oversee domestic disaster preparedness training and coordinate government disaster response. It will bring together:

· The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
· Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System (HHS)
· Nuclear Incident Response Team (Energy)
· Domestic Emergency Support Teams (Justice)
· National Domestic Preparedness Office (FBI)

The Science and Technology directorate will seek to utilize all scientific and technological advantages when securing the homeland. The following assets will be part of this effort:

· CBRN Countermeasures Programs (Energy)
· Environmental Measurements Laboratory (Energy)
· National BW Defense Analysis Center (Defense)
· Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Agriculture)

The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate will analyze intelligence and information from other agencies (including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA) involving threats to homeland security and evaluate vulnerabilities in the nation's infrastructure. It will bring together:

· Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (Commerce)
· Federal Computer Incident Response Center (GSA)
· National Communications System (Defense)
· National Infrastructure Protection Center (FBI)
· Energy Security and Assurance Program (Energy)


The Secret Service and the Coast Guard will also be located in the Department of Homeland Security, remaining intact and reporting directly to the Secretary. In addition, the INS adjudications and benefits programs will report directly to the Deputy Secretary as the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Office for Domestic Preparedness

The Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) is the principal component of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for preparing the United States for acts of terrorism. In carrying out its mission, ODP is the primary office responsible to providing training, funds for the purchase of equipment, support for the planning and execution of exercises, technical assistance and other support to assist states and local jurisdiction prevent, plan for, and respond to acts of terrorism.

ODP achieves its mission by providing grants to states and local jurisdictions, providing hands-on training through a number of residential training facilities as well as in-service training at the local level, funding and working with state and local jurisdictions to plan and execute exercise, and providing technical assistance on-site to state and local jurisdictions.

In the 1998 Appropriations Act (Public Law 105-119) and accompanying report, the Congress expressed its concern regarding the real and potentially catastrophic effects of a chemical or biological act of terrorism. Congress stated that while the Federal Government plays an important role in preventing and responding to these types of threats, state and local public safety personnel are typically first to respond to the scene when such incidents occur. As a result, Congress authorized the Attorney General to assist state and local public safety personnel in acquiring the specialized training and equipment necessary to safely respond to and manage terrorist incidents involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

On April 30, 1998, the Attorney General delegated authority to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to develop and administer training and equipment assistance programs for state and local emergency response agencies to better prepare them against this threat. To execute this mission, the Office of Justice Programs established ODP to develop and administer a national Domestic Preparedness Program.

Upon passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296), the Office of Domestic Preparedness was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.

The School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

“The Nation’s Oldest Continuous Degree Granting Program in Criminal Justice”, these proud words begin the story about the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Since 1935 MSU has been a leader in pioneering criminal justice research, undergraduate and graduate education, and collaboration with criminal justice agencies, private businesses, and communities through research and an extensive Outreach program. One by-product of this long and storied tradition is that the School enjoys an unparalleled alumni network throughout the world.

The MSU School of Criminal Justice story focuses on the future. Charging headlong into the 21st Century, the School is concentrating on a myriad of national challenges, which include:

Crime Response to Terrorism and Justice Evaluation Research, Security, International Crime and Securit, Computer Security, Crime Analysis, Strategic Problem Solving, DNATechnology, School Safety, Domestic Violence, Community Policing, Identity Theft. The School is also working with the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) on two programs relative to critical incident response. The first is Developing Private/Public Sector Partnerships in Response to Critical Incidents, and the second is Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness for the Law Enforcement Executive.
Additionally, the challenges faced in an increasingly diverse society are being addressed by MSU through research, teaching, and outreach. The School is at the forefront of innovative delivery of instruction through masters degree and certificate programs offered over the Internet. Similarly, the School has revised its Ph.D. program to better address doctoral scholarship in this new century.

Michigan State University prides itself on combining knowledge production with knowledge application. The School of Criminal Justice exemplifies this approach by generating new ways of understanding the world while at the same time working collaboratively to see that this knowledge is used to solve problems, assist communities, enhance and preserve the quality of life and ensure the equal administration and application of justice on a local and global basis.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police

The IACP is the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with almost 20,000 members in more than 100 different countries and territories. IACP’s membership consists of the operating chief executives of international, Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies of all sizes.

Founded in 1893, the association's goals are to advance the science and art of police services; to develop and disseminate improved administrative, technical and operational practices and promote their use in police work; to foster police cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among police administrators throughout the world; to bring about recruitment and training of qualified persons in the police profession; and to encourage adherence of all police officers to high professional standards of performance and conduct.
Throughout the past 100-plus years, the International Association of Chiefs of Police has been serving the needs of the law enforcement community by launching historically acclaimed programs, conducting groundbreaking research and providing exemplary programs and services to its membership across the globe.

Professionally recognized programs such as the FBI Identification Division and the Uniform Crime Records system can trace their origins back to the IACP. In fact, the IACP has been instrumental in forwarding breakthrough technologies and philosophies from the early years of its establishment to now, as we enter the 21st century. From spearheading national use of fingerprint identification to partnering in a consortium on community policing to gathering top experts in criminal justice, the government and education for summits on violence, homicide, and youth violence, IACP has realized its responsibility to positively affect the goals of law enforcement.