Criminal Justice Librarian
Getting Started on Threat Assessment
Much of the information that you need for a threat assessment can be found on the free web. Here are some search tips:
- Use quotation marks when you want to find an exact phrase (or name).
Example:
“types of threat assessment” finds only sources that have those words in that same order
- Search federal, state, and local government sites with site:gov in Google.
Example:
Terrorism threat assessment site:gov finds only government sites that contain the words Terrorism threat assessment.
Reseaching Locations for Your Threat Assessment
Most cities and towns have data available through their municipal web sites. Here are some other resources.
- City DataOne of the most popular sites for populations, crime rates, demographics on cities.
- Penn State Berks Fact SheetQuick stats on Berks campus.
- Penn State Budget Office--Fact Sheet on Penn State BerksVery detailed statistics on Berks.
Identifying Terrorist Groups
- Terrorist Organization Profiles (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism)Search by group name, location, or ideology.
- U.S. Government Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (Department of State)Scroll down to find a summary of each international group officially designated by the Department of State as terrorist groups.
- Extremist Files--Groups (Southern Poverty Law Center)Find domestic extremist groups.
- The Domestic Terrorist Threat: Background and Issues for Congress (Congressional Research Service)In-depth description of domestic terrorist groups such as environmental, anarchist, white supremacist groups.
Studying Trends
- Global Terrorism Databasefind information on past terrorist attacks. You can search by "Attack Type" or "Target Type" to find out how terrorists have attacked targets similar to your potential target in the past.
- Identifying Enemies Among UsRAND offers ideas on future terrorist threats.
- National Threat Assessment Centerthe Secret Service's information center for threat assessment professionals.
- Nice attack part of emerging DIY-style terrorism trendUSA Today article explaining how the Nice attack embodies a new trend in terrorism.
- New Trends in Terrorism's Targeting of the Business SectorLooks at new tactics terrorists use to wage financial war on their opponents.
- Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Communitya 2016 report from the Director of National Intelligence about the main risks to the US.
Identifying Potential Targets (including infrastructure)
- Homeland Security: Practical Tools for Local GovermentsFrom the National League of Cities provides a list that we can use to help identify potential targets of terrorism on page 7. That list includes:
Ports of entry – airports, harbors
Water systems
Energy supplies
Transportation infrastructure – highways, roads, bridges, rail lines, tunnels
Military installations
Other federal facilities (buildings, research labs, nuclear plants)
Schools/universities
International borders
Government buildings (city, state, federal)
Stadiums, arenas, convention centers
Other large buildings (high-rises), landmarks, monuments
Communications and technology infrastructure
Power plants
Hospital/medical facilities
****Check out this site about dealing with threat assessments to specific buildings:
https://www.wbdg.org/resources/threat-vulnerability-assessments-and-risk-analysis