ABSTRACT
Terrorist attacks involving CBRNE/TIC agents can cause mass fatalities and mass destruction. All levels of law enforcement (local, state, and federal) must fully engage their resources to identify, prevent, and deter terrorism as they do for no other crime. No longer can it be said that terrorism is solely a federal law enforcement issue. Should law enforcement and our intelligence agencies fail in the identižcation and prevention of a terrorist attack, local law enforcement must be prepared to begin the investigation of the attack. Successful investigation of a high-consequence event (HCE) can be realized when crime scene personnel develop and continually enhance their knowledge and the skills needed for crime scene management. Developments in technology, along with improvements in the analysis and interpretation of physical evidence recovered from hazardous environment crime scenes, place even greater importance on properly documented and preserved evidence. While the response to an HCE will be multiagency/multijurisdictional, local law enforcement will start the criminal investigation and should have a response plan and assignments for all its personnel. CSIs should already be trained and be practicing the FBI’s 12-step process for crime scene investigation management. ¨ey must be prepared to set up their teams to conduct a crime scene investigation in potentially deadly environments of CBRNE/TIC agents. Every member of the crime scene investigation unit should be trained to safely operate in these environments, and each member should be assigned a specižc role to perform at a hazardous environment crime scene investigation.
