International Journal on Criminology Volume 4, Number 2, Winter 2016 | Page 25

Answering the Terrorism Challenge
-----Second, the Assistant Commissioner for Legal Matters or his staff was
authorized to attend any meeting with any Division, team, unit, branch, or
any combination of them. The legal staff was to be informed in advance of
such meetings.
-----Third, the Assistant Commissioner or his staff had, and used, access
to every operational and written report prepared by Division detectives and
analysts to assure that activity on the ground comported with legal guidelines.
In short, the NYPD Intelligence Division required and established mechanisms
that assured complete transparency by the legal oversight required by the Court and
the Police Commissioner.
Lessons Learned
There are many lessons to be drawn from the experience of the NYPD
Intelligence Division during the 12-year period from 2002 to 2014. Hopefully, these
are woven into the above review of what was done, how, why, and to what effect.
Consequently, there is little to summarize on this matter.
-----The one most central lesson is the overarching role of NYPD
Commissioner Kelly in launching an endeavor never before taken on by a
local law enforcement agency in the history of the United States.
-----His role, and the support he received from Mayor Bloomberg,
provided the catalyst and guidance that allowed what emerged to occur.
Thus, leadership from the top stands out as the single most important lesson.
As the person who headed the NYPD Intelligence Division during this period,
having smart, hard-working, highly motivated senior officers who were being asked
to do things they were never trained to do was the second precondition for success.
Nobody filled this role better than Chief Thomas Galati who had my complete
confidence, shared in all decision-making, and had the trust of all concerned.
What is depicted in this monograph may also provide some lessons for Europe
in the wake of the threat from ISIS and other terrorist elements. The underlying
lessons woven through this monograph have application for the challenges faced
by Western Europe intelligence and security services as well as other major urban
centers such as Mumbai, Tokyo, Bangkok, and others. In brief, more integrated
intelligence and security programs, and aggressive use of civilian analysts teamed
with investigators and backed with a cadre of undercover officers who, while living
a covert life, are fully embedded into the agencies they work for. There is more, but
this is a minimum requirement for enhanced security and safety.
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