Toward a common standard: the role of law enforcement at WMD incidents

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of law enforcement personnel at weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and hazardous materials incidents with regard to WMD training, standards and preparedness, and identifies gaps and problems in current local law enforcement WMD response preparedness. Different models of local law enforcement WMD response are analyzed to compare with the New York City model, and the U.S. Bomb Squad and United Kingdom law enforcement chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear training programs are examined as examples of successful national preparedness response programs. The implications of this thesis indicate a need for a national strategy for local law enforcement WMD training, equipment and operating procedures to better coordinate response efforts between local law enforcement agencies at WMD incidents.