After Boston: Local and National Response to Domestic Terrorism
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law in conjunction with the Greater Austin Crime Commission hosted the 2013 Global Security summit: “After Boston: Local and National Response to Domestic Terrorism.” Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, Congressman Michael T. McCaul, and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo featured in a panel discussion moderated by Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret).
Throughout their conversation, the panelists highlighted the central role that information plays in preventing and dealing with terrorist attacks. Boston Police Commissioner Davis explained how terrorism has evolved over the past twenty years, first dealt with only at a national level, but after 9/11 becoming a local issue in which police chiefs started to work together on ways to tackle terror threats. For Davis, the greatest lesson to be learned from the Boston attacks is precisely the value of communication and information sharing between agencies at national and local levels. Following in that vein, Congressman McCaul suggested that information regarding possible terrorist threats should not be so easily disregarded or “siloed.” Instead, it should be analyzed further and shared in a timely manner with police taskforces via fusion centers.
Information, however, should not come solely from official sources. Panelists were in agreement regarding the need of getting citizens to report suspicious-looking individuals and activities. They also discussed the inherent trade-off between privacy and security. Weighing in on this debate, Austin Police Chief Acevedo argued that security should trump privacy whenever there is the risk of violence or security threats.
Congressman McCaul and Police Chief Acevedo closed the panel with a discussion of another growing security threat in Central Texas: drug-trade related violence. This problem has both a foreign policy and law enforcement perspective. Both aspects should continue to be discussed and international efforts should be enhanced to stop the traffic of guns and drugs on both sides of the border.
Commissioner Edward F. Davis — Boston Police Department
Edward F. Davis is the fortieth police commissioner of the City of Boston. He was sworn in by Mayor Thomas Menino on December 4, 2006. Davis has been widely praised for his handling of the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. He previously served as police superintendent in Lowell, Massachusetts, for twelve years and has been in law enforcement for thirty-four years. Davis oversees police services for more than 500,000 residents and people visiting and working in the City of Boston. His extensive law enforcement background has set the tone for policing in the city, from the walking beat, to managing demonstrations and special events, to creating an improved and trusting relationship between the police and community, to innovative technology and social media efforts that have improved public safety and allowed open dialogue. Davis has been recognized for his efforts locally and nationally by the Police Executive Research Forum, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Major Cities Chiefs Association, and worked in Singapore, London, Northern Ireland, Jordan, and Israel.
Congressman Michael T. McCaul — Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, US House of Representatives
Congressman Michael T. McCaul is serving his fifth term representing Texas’s 10th District in the US House of Representatives stretching from Austin to the Houston suburbs. He became chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland Security in January 2013, which has oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and ensures the effective performance of its core mission to protect Americans from terrorist attacks. In July, House Speaker John Boehner appointed McCaul chairman of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group for the 113th Congress, leading dialogue between members of the United States and Mexican congresses on issues of bilateral importance. Prior to serving in Congress, McCaul was chief of Counter Terrorism and National Security in the US Attorney’s office, Western District of Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He also served as deputy state attorney general under current US Senator John Cornyn and was a federal prosecutor in the US Department of Justice Public Integrity Section. A fourth generation Texan, Congressman McCaul is married to Linda, a member of the Greater Austin Crime Commission Board of Directors.
Chief Art Acevedo — Austin Police Department
Chief Art Acevedo leads a department of 2,400 sworn law enforcement and support personnel who carry out police operations within the City of Austin, as well as the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, city parks and lakes, and municipal courts. With an annual budget of $309 million, the Austin Police Department serves the diverse population in the nation’s eleventh largest city. Under Acevedo’s leadership, the police department has been reengineered into a data-driven and intelligence-led organization. He has worked to strengthen the relationship between the community and police department. Born in Cuba, Acevedo was four years old when his family migrated to the United States in 1968. He grew up in California and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne. Acevedo began his career in law enforcement as field patrol officer in East Los Angeles with the California Highway Patrol in 1986 and rose to the rank of chief in 2005. He joined the Austin Police Department in July 2007 and holds leadership positions with the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Moderator
Admiral Bobby R. Inman, US Navy (Ret) — Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy, LBJ School of Public Affairs; Former President (2001-2003), Greater Austin Crime Commission
Admiral Bobby R. Inman graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1950 and from the National War College in 1972. He became an adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Austin in 1987. He was appointed as a tenured professor holding the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy in August 2001. He served as interim dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs from January to December 2005 and again from January 2009 to March 2010. Inman served in the US Navy from November 1951 to July 1982, when he retired with the permanent rank of admiral. While on active duty he served as director of the National Security Agency and deputy director of Central Intelligence Agency. After retirement from the Navy, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) in Austin, Texas for four years and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westmark Systems, Inc., a privately owned electronics industry holding company for three years. Admiral Inman also served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 1987 through 1990. Admiral Inman’s primary activity since 1990 has been investing in start-up technology companies.