Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2015 | Page 50

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

utilized by government agencies for surveillance, communication
interception, and to trace the online presence of terrorist groups.
The IBM SPSS aids law enforcement and government agencies in
anticipating and preventing terrorist activities both before and in
real-time, rather than after the fact.

The FinCEN database includes all banking and money-laundering
SARs and personal information such as bank account numbers,
known addresses, business associates, and potential criminal activity
(U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2014).
INFORMATION SHARING

Probability Grid Method (PGM)
Paul Catalono, Brennan Long, and Bryan Hill developed the
Probability Grid Method (PGM), a tool that predicts criminal
activity before it occurs. In Phoenix, Arizona, law enforcement
agencies used PGM methodology in criminal cases involving arson,
burglary, and theft. PGM works together with ArcGIS software to
analyze data from different sources to distinguish spatial patterns,
trends, and future events. PGM enables law enforcement to utilize
statistical methods along with practical experience in a particular
area of interest. PGM software would be beneficial in aiding law
enforcement agencies with predicting and tracking terrorist activities.

Government agencies may have had information about a possible
terror attack leading to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “According to the
9/11 Commission Report the biggest impediment to…connecting
the dots is the human or systemic resistance to sharing information”
(“National Commission,” 2004). The following is “an FBI agent’s
reaction after 9/11 on discovering the CIA possessed information
relevant to the investigation of al-Qa’idah” (Lamb & Staine-Pyne,
2014).
For about a minute, I stared at the pictures and the report,
not quite believing what I had in my hands. We had asked the
CIA repeatedly during the USS Cole investigation if they knew
anything about why Khallad had been in Malaysia…. Each
time we had asked—in November 2000, April 2001, and July
2001—they had said that they knew nothing. But[sic] here in
the file was a very different answer: they had in fact known….
I walked out of the room, sprinted down the corridor to the
bathroom, and fell to the floor next to a stall. There I threw
up…. The same thought kept looping back: If they had all this
information since January 2000, why the hell didn’t they pass it
on (Lamb, Christopher, & Staine-Pyne).

Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM)
Law enforcement agencies continuously look for efficient ways to
anticipate unlawful behavior. During peak times of criminal activity,
law enforcement agencies could use predictive analytic tools, such as
Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) for greater proficiency in monitoring
and anticipating criminal movement. RTM creates a high-risk map
by inputting data of past behavior, physical qualities, and criminal
wrongdoings for a particular geographical area. Law enforcement
agencies are then able to determine the risk factors of particular
criminal activity occurring over time. For example, law enforcement
agencies utilize the RTM technology to assign more officers to areas
with a higher amounts of criminal activity during specific times of
the day. RTM technology is one method law enforcement agencies
utilize to determine possible terrorist activity in the United States
mass transit system. Armed with RTM predictive analytic technology,
law enforcement agencies are better equipped to protect U.S. citizens
from violent acts of terror.

The 9/11 Commission Report discussed the many levels of hierarchy
required for interagency collaboration. These levels of hierarchy led
to wasted time in implementing and responding to terror threats.
Members of the 9/11 Commission Report stated, “we had to fight
to get access to documents we needed, fight to get people we needed
to testify to make our cases. Nothing was easy” (Grumet, Hamilton,
& Kean, 201
K