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The Boston Marathon Bombings

Autor:   •  July 1, 2018  •  1,392 Words (6 Pages)  •  494 Views

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In the immediate aftermath of the blasts, we learned again the fundamental lessons: All homeland security events are local, beginning with local consequences that require local officials to respond. We learned that effective response depends on robust relationships among people who have learned to work together before events happen. And we learned that skilled, problem-focused improvisation can fill in the gaps. (governing.com)

We’ve also learned again that good homeland security is intergovernmental, interagency, intersectoral -- and enlists ordinary Americans. While the FBI managed the scene, it was a regional Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority SWAT team that took the suspect down. The first photos of the captured suspect showed federal tactical officers wearing FBI and ATF gear. And don’t forget, during the manhunt for the suspect, it was a citizen who found him hiding in a boat. Citizens often worked the front lines, making “Boston Strong” more than a T-shirt message and demonstrating that “if you see something, say something” is far more than a cliché. (governing.com)

A state report days after the bombing called the overall emergency response to the Boston Marathon bombings a “great success,” but revealed that some police officers fired recklessly in the Watertown shootout with the suspects, and that officers were deployed chaotically in the ensuing manhunt. (Bostonglobe.com) The first officers who confronted the Marathon bombers acted appropriately, the 130-page report said, but a swarm of police who followed often failed to identify their targets before firing. The cascade of gunshots created dangerous crossfire during two intense encounters, according to the study.

More than 200 shots were fired during the shootout shortly after midnight on April 19, 2013. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the bombers, was killed when his brother, Dzhokhar, struck him in a stolen SUV while fleeing from the gunfire. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev later escaped on foot into a Watertown backyard.

“Weapons discipline was lacking by the multitude of law enforcement officers in the field during both the firefight with the two suspects near Dexter and Laurel streets, and the standoff with the second suspect who was hiding in a winterized boat in a residential back yard,” the report said. (Bostonglobe.com)

Conclusion

In conclusion, what can be learned from this is that really important challenges are too big for any one agency. Any one level of government or even government itself to try to control. Someone else has to be in charge to make sure that coordination happens, but it isn’t done by barking orders, its done by identifying the assets that are needed, who has them and how to get them to where they’re needed. In the end, what works is focusing more on solving that problem than solving who’s in charge. (governing.com)

References

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/03/report-public-agency-response-marathon-bombings-expected-released-today/N7Qu63RQfudsMuvKbaK9AL/story.html

https://cdn2.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2014/09/NPLI-Marathan-Bombing-Leadership-Response-Report-dist.pdf

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/oec-case%20study-support%20for%20response%20to%20boston%20marathon%20bombing-2013.pdf

http://www.governing.com/columns/potomac-chronicle/col-boston-bombing-highlights-homeland-security-done-right.html

http://www.history.com/topics/boston-marathon-bombings

http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935383.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935383-e-99?mediaType=Article#oxfordhb-9780199935383-e-99-div1-4

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