Criminology

Should state and federal homeland security grant money be distributed based upon population density? Why or why not? Explain.

No. this is because some regions experience high cases of insecurity and potential attacks regardless of the population density. Some regions may be densely populated and become a high target for attacks aimed at killing a mass number of people. Similarly, a region may be scarcely populated but still, experience attacks may be due to the natural resources in the region or just pure enmity by the attackers (Bullock, et al., 2013). The less populated regions may also be much prone to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes which may not be the case for the densely populated regions. This means that a huge amount of security money is required to fund the mechanisms of dealing with the situations and awakening the residents of the means to respond to various calamities. Therefore, population density should not form a basis for distribution of security grant.
Should state and federal homeland security grant money be distributed based upon risk assessment? Why or why not? Explain.

Yes. The money should be distributed according to the intensity of risk factors in various regions. The regions with high susceptibility of attacks should receive more security funds than those that are less prone to as major disasters, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies. This will enable the citizens to prepare themselves and develop mechanisms for response in times of attacks. When the highly risky regions are funded enough and able to respond effectively to potential hazards and attacks, the less prone regions will also benefit indirectly since the overall security will be enhanced (Oliver et al., 2014). The attackers will be scared away by the response mechanisms of the people. For this criterion to be effective, the methods used to determine the variations in vulnerability to natural calamities and terrorist attacks should be able to capture effectively those variations. To determine the risk vulnerability, the critical infrastructure, the threat to the population factors and transportation should be put into consideration. The critical infrastructure and the homeland security capability should also be considered in assessing the risks.
Should state and federal homeland security grant money be distributed equally across the nation or jurisdictions? Why or why not? Explain.

No. Some regions or districts are highly targeted by the terrorists than the others especially those that are near the nation’s boundaries or those that are more flourished with natural resources. Other regions are known to experience natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods frequently than others.  This necessitates the need to grant a huge share of security grant to the vulnerable regions than the others that do not own such histories. Some regions may take ages without experiencing any risk factors while others experience them quite often. Other communities may just be a target for terrorism by their enemies and hence require a large share of security grant than less vulnerable regions (Reddick, 2010). Therefore, the distribution of security grant should not be equal in this case since various regions experience different levels of insecurity.
Do you think that a combination of any of the listed funding factors above can be effectively utilized? Why or why not? Explain.

Yes. If the security grant money is well allocated especially using the risk assessment grant criteria, the regional security administrators will have the obligation to utilize the money effectively in order to enhance the security of the locals. This is because the administrators are also potential victims and enhancing security mechanisms will also benefit them. The security personnel will also be expected to devote themselves in assimilating the community in the planning, preparation, response and recovery phases of emergencies. The security grant will enable them to utilize it to educate, train and offer their service to provide the local security and willingness to respond to threats of crime, terror and natural disasters. When the community is fully engaged in national preparedness it eases the sustainability and ability to deliver the intended security.  

References

Top of Form

Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. (2013). Homeland security: The essentials.

            Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Oliver, W. M., Marion, N. E., & Hill, J. B. (2014). Introduction to Homeland Security. Sudbury:

Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Top of Form

Reddick, C. G. (2010). Homeland security preparedness and information systems: Strategies for             managing public policy. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference