ABSTRACT
Notions of security would be forever challenged and altered. Ideas of safety within America’s borders would now be doubted. Indeed, the last 5 years have been witness to an intense debate on what borders really mean and even, to the complete consternation of experienced law enforcement sectors responsible for the border, whether borders should be closed or opened. Confidence in our ability to withstand or detect attacks was severely undermined by the events of 9/11. The attacks on American soil were sweeping in scope and left the public safety and law enforcement communities stunned. The historic resistance to shared, collaborative information remains a constant challenge of governmental agencies so large and so byzantine that it is difficult to change the culture of ownership these entities have long preserved. While safety and security issues are permanent national concerns, the examination of how to predict and prevent threats to the national homeland took on added importance after 9/11.
