Technology's Role In Terrorism

Throughout contemporary society, the increasing rate of terroristic acts has threatened the lives of our fellow citizens that live in landmark regions across the United States. In contrast, drug-related crimes have deter gradually. According to the Uniform Crime Report, the percent of illicit drug-related crimes has decreased from 1.8 million arrests in 2005, to 1.5 million arrests in 2014. This data demonstrates, that challenges have emerged through the use of illegal drug abuse and terrorism, considering the fact that it is one of the most serious problems the law enforcement faces. The role of technology plays a dramatic role in responding to these challenges of terrorism, and drug-related crimes. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, and of Justice Statistics reports that currently 47 percent of all offenders in federal prisons today are serving drug sentences. While this data demonstrates the reason of the majority of the incarcerated persons held in federal prisons, the significance in preventing drug-related crimes, has raised other challenges in preventing them. According to the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) challenges have emerged such as misuse of prescription drugs, violence related to drug trafficking, new technologies, new trafficking routes, and the expansion of the global market for synthetic stimulants. These new challenges have made it difficult for the law enforcement agencies to respond to drug-related crimes, therefore the advancement of technology has played a significant role in combating the War on Drugs. Law enforcement agencies have improved their combat against drug-related crime by integrating technology through their operations. They increased their effectiveness since 1990 when the ONDCP’s Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC) was enacted by the Counter-Narcotics Technology Act of 1990. CTAC is a research program operated by the federal government in which they serve as a central counter-drug technology research and development organization. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1999), CTAC identifies short, medium, and long-term scientific and technological needs of federal, state, and local drug-enforcement agencies-including surveillance; tracking; electronic support measures; communications; data fusion; and chemical, biological, …show more content…
“War on Terrorism” has increased terrorism, in that terrorist incidents such as bombings and shootings have increased gradually. The bombing of 9/11 called for a strategy to plan a stronger domestic defense system in the U.S, therefore challenges have emerged as a result. For example, as a result of the improved innovation of public transportation and telecommunications (USDOJ) “…rapid advances in miniaturization of electrical and mechanical devices make it easier for both amateurs and sophisticated organizations to plan and carry out attacks on people and property.” Lastly, conceivable assaults on data bases and the rising dangers of synthetic, organic, radio-logical, and atomic weapons make the potential results of terrorism more …show more content…
Post 9/11 attacks, the USA Patriot Act was passed and reauthorized in 2006 with additional amendments. Additionally, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the federal dept. of Homeland Security. The Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism (2015), countered their approach by “considering issues in nine areas: nuclear and radiological threats; human and agricultural health systems; toxic chemicals and explosive materials; information technology; energy systems; transportation systems; cities and fixed infrastructure; the response of people to terrorism; and complex and interdependent systems.” Basically, technology has responded to these challenges, by improving systems to detect illicit weaponry, increased surveillance and security throughout urban and suburban