Learning from 9/11: Comparative Case Studies of the LE Response in NY

Project Summary for 2002-IJ-CX-0013

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, underscored the critical roles of the two local police departments in responding to the crisis. These events offer an unprecedented opportunity to learn lessons about what worked well, what did not, and why. Therefore, to better understand the elements of the critical incidents and to distill lessons to be learned from these tragic events, this study proposes to conduct comparative case studies of the responses in the New York City and Arlington County police departments, with the strong support and cooperation of each agency. The project has four goals: (1) to create a framework for the analysis of critical incident management systems, based on the four major components of such systems: Prevention/Preparedness; Response/Crisis Management; Consequences Management; and Mitigation/Prevention plans for furture incidents; (2) to conduct descriptive case studies of how the two departments prepared for and responded (immediately and longer term) to their respective terrorist incidents; (3) compare and contrast the two departments, highlighting challenges, obstacles, successes and setbacks experienced by each; and (4) produce and disseminate a monograph to guide local law enforcement nationwide in preparing for and responding to terrorist incidents in the future. Data collection methods will include interviews with law enforcement participants at all levels in the two departments, interviews with other agency participants who were coordinating their activities with the police, on-site observations of the departmental systems and activities relevant to terrorist preparation and response, and archival records and reports relating to the 9/11 actions.

ca/ncf