ResearchOklahoma University gets DHS research grant

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC)  was awarded a $490,000 grant from DHS for a 2-year study of how law enforcement officers utilize awareness of their surroundings to collect and then analyze intelligence related to potential terrorist threats. The OUHSC researchers will work in conjunction with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland.

As patrol officers around the United States transition from first responders to front-line preventers, the street-level officers must also expand their observation skills to include suspicious behavior.

The principal investigator for the study is James L. Regens, Ph.D., founding director of the OUHSC Center for Biosecurity Research. He is also associate dean for research at the OU College of Public Health.

“Intelligence collection and analysis are key to identifying and disrupting terrorist planning,” he said. “This research will help improve understanding the ‘what to report,’ as well as the ‘what if’ and ‘so what.’”

Regens cited as an example the failed New York City Times Square bombing attempt of 1 May 2010. Street vendors had noticed a suspicious vehicle, and alerted a patrol officer, who immediately called for backup and a bomb disposal unit.

The study will consist of the examination of non-classified law enforcement agency documents and procedures, as well as scenario-based exercise evaluations.

The project also draws on the expertise of David Edger, CEO of 3CI Consulting and former senior operations officer for the CIA’s clandestine service, David Cid, executive director of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and former assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office, and Carl Jensen III, director of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the University of Mississippi and a former FBI supervisory special agent in the Behavioral Sciences Unit.