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Security on Buses and Trains: Guarding the Nation's Public Transit Systems Against Terrorist Attacks

NCJ Number
217951
Journal
Journal of Security Education Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: 2006 Pages: 119-132
Author(s)
Daniel B. Hess Ph.D.
Date Published
2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This literature review of research on counterterrorist strategies for preventing and limiting the harms caused by terrorist attacks on public transit systems considers the nature and context of the threat to public safety, the challenges in countering it, and research needs.
Abstract
Public transit is particularly attractive to extremists who wish to kill and injure large numbers of people and cripple an important component of economic functioning in strategic urban areas. Fortifying urban transit against such attacks is an enormous undertaking, considering the number of riders and the size of public transit systems, which encompass buses, trains, and ferries. Transit systems have developed and implemented a variety of programs intended to improve the prevention and response to terrorist attacks, including enhanced coordination among local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies; disaster-awareness training for staff; and the integration of terrorism response and incident management into transit emergency planning. Further efforts to improve transit security should focus on deterrence, prevention, reduction in the number and severity of casualties, and prompt response by emergency workers should an attack occur. A key research area that should be explored is how to balance the openness and accessibility of public transit with the need for effective security measures. 10 notes and 50 references