Identity Crisis: Defining the Problem and Framing a Solution for Terrorism Incident Response

Abstract

The analysis of domestic incidents of terrorism has revealed many gaps in our nation's capability to effectively manage the multi-jurisdictional response. Although many gaps have been addressed through implementation of measures based on lessons learned, the most pervasive unresolved issue remains the ability to properly identify first response personnel on incident scenes. The nature of incidents of terrorism requires force protection to be a priority because of the threat of a secondary attack. Identity must be established and authenticated to protect responders and prevent infiltration. This article defines the problem of identity management for terrorism incident response and examines two potential options for closing this glaring capability gap. The first option, a typed Identity Management Team response resource, is developed and defined through analysis of the response to previous domestic incidents of terrorism. The second option, a comprehensive nationwide identity solution for first responders, is examined in light of the federal government implementation of HSPD-12. The article recommends immediate development of typed identity management response resources and a thorough study of federal HSPD-12 implementation for its applicability to incident response deficiencies.