MANPADS: Worse Now Than 9/11

FEARS

How could this all shake out?  Terror cell “A” enters U.S. (if not already here), gets MANPADS through our porous borders, the members of Cell “A” read the manual, practice the attack by playing a video game available to our kids (of course rated “V” for Violence), and then deploy separately during a high travel time and drop four or five 737’s on final approach (person I interviewed assessed this would be the most dangerous point for the aircrew subject to an attack of this sort).  Thousands potentially dead from air to ground, air travel suspended, here comes our “triple dip recession” and the politicians will point their fingers again at each other “across the isle” and the fairy tale continues.  How is counter-terrorism a problem for the average street cop?  You are the first responder when the aircraft come down.   Make sure you see the article below by the Federation of American Scientists, because it details the components of MANPADS and what you should look for when doing traffic stops, investigations, searches of homes, etc., during the normal course of your duties.

Web Links:

• ABC News
• MANPAD Components

About The Author:

Keith R. Lavery, M.A., CMAS, is a full-time criminal justice educator teaching at a public Career Center, University System of Ohio. He has facilitated and designed criminal justice, security, and law enforcement courses of instruction at the post-secondary level. Keith had a very diverse police career spanning nearly 20 years, working in urban and rural law enforcement settings with assignments ranging from patrol to specialized functions, to include HIDTA Drug Unit, CLANLAB Enforcement Team, SRT and Supervision. In 2008, Keith was awarded the Certified Master Anti-Terrorism designation from the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board. Academically, he has completed post-graduate course work dedicated toward a Doctorate in Education. Keith is currently the Law Enforcement Liaison for the Cleveland, Ohio, Chapter of ASIS International.