Should fully developed terrorists operations be implemented in the United States, they would threaten the quality of life; public safety, welfare, and individual rights; political, social, and economic stability; the health and pace of economic development; and the survival of democracy. The challenge to local police in responding to terrorism is to minimize the diminishment of civil liberties, not to spend an inordinate amount of money on defending against terrorism, and to respond with the minimum capacity necessary to deal effectively with terrorist acts. To counter terrorism effectively, the police must engage in tactical response, containment, damage control, evidence collection, negotiations, investigations, pursuit, prosecution assistance, intelligence gathering, and international sanctions. The centerpiece of the response should be interorganizational cooperation derived from an appropriate interorganizational structure. An example of an effective response is the recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms arrest of members of a militant Chicago gang for allegedly plotting with Libya to commit terrorist acts against U.S. Government properties.