Proseminar in Criminal Justice

Terrorism plots against the United States have caused the government to create the Department of Homeland Security with the hope of leveraging federal, state, and local police agencies; intelligence agencies; and immigration agencies to cooperate in communicating findings and creating joint efforts to stop threats of terrorism or confront a terrorist attack.

The current threat of terrorism has made many legislatures in Congress think about the United States combining all the police agencies into one national police organization. The centralization of power would stop the discombobulated nature of the 3 government levels of police and provide a clear, overall standard on how to police not only terrorism acts but crime in general.

Please answer the following questions. As you answer each question you must provide support or evidence that will enhance and empirically prove your answers. Academic criminal justice articles or real-life criminal justice findings that are not found in journals or other academic sources must be used in supporting your answers. Please use APA style for all cited sources including your resource page.

• Should the United States combine all the police agencies into one national police organization? Why or why not?
• If you must consolidate the police, would you have to do the same to the criminal justice system? How would you create and establish such a police organization?
• Do you believe that the establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically has changed community policing? How? Why? Provide examples.