High-threat decision-making is intrinsic to many domains and carries an individual, organizational, and social responsibility. Tactical and incident commanders make decisions in the high-threat law enforcement context of hostage rescue, armed barricaded suspects, and armed suicidal individuals that can result in successful or catastrophic outcomes. This book describes the experiences and methods of making decisions in these types of extreme environments. The presented research addresses learning strategies that could better prepare leaders for information processing in any high-threat domain, while optimizing speed and accuracy in decision-making. This volume emphasizes the role of adaptive expertise in decision-making, and explains how mental models of recurring patterns are created and retrieved, and why they are necessary for effective situational assessments. This book is ideal for police commanders and executives, emergency response managers, first responders, and criminology researchers. It is also well-suited for professionals seeking further information about improved high-threat decision-making strategies.

A provocative new look at an important security topic examines terrorist threats and attacks on shipping and ports—and provides strategies for safety. Terror on the High Seas: From Piracy to Strategic Challenge is a provocative look at maritime security and the steps that must be taken if terrorist threats are to be nullified. From the Achille Lauro hijacking to the bombing of the USS Cole to attacks on shipping channels, terrorists have employed a variety of tactics, both successful and unsuccessful. These have included the smuggling of arms and plots to bomb shipyards, as well as attacks on Merchant Marine ships, maritime offices, fuel storage facilities, and Navy personnel, ships, and facilities, on shore and in port. This book constitutes the first research effort after the unprecedented attacks of September 11, 2001, to provide government, industry, and the academic and policy communities with a major resource on potential threats to the maritime environment. Assuming that past tactics, as well as a variety of other unconventional attacks, will be utilized by both domestic and international groups well into the 21st century, the book sagely outlines the response needed from government and industry to meet the coming challenges.

High Challenge, Low Threat is Mary Myatt's smart and thoughtful exploration of all the things that wise leaders do. Informed through thousands of conversations over a 20-year period in education, Mary shows the lessons that school management teams can learn from leaders in a wide range of other sectors and points to the conditions which these leaders create to allow colleagues to engage with difficult issues enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. This book makes the case that any leadership role is concerned primarily with the relationships between individuals. It is the quality of these, whatever the size of the organisation, which make the difference between organisations which thrive, and those which stagnate. This is not to argue for soft, easy and comfortable options. Instead it considers how top leaders manage to walk the line between the impossible and the possible, between the undoable and the doable, and to create conditions for productive work which transcend the difficulties which come towards us every day. Instead of dodging them, they embrace them. And by navigating high challenge, low threat, they show how others how to do the same.

U.S. communities depend on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems. Each weekday, more than 12 million passengers take to U.S. railways. This book explains a framework for security planners and policymakers to guide cost-effective rail-security planning, specifically for the risk of terrorism. Risk is a function of threat, vulnerability, and consequences. This book focuses on addressing vulnerabilities and limiting consequences.

Key Terms and Concepts for Investigation provides students and practitioners with a compilation of concise, accurate articles on major topics pertaining to criminal, private, and military investigations. Each entry in this reference features a definition and then describes its function in investigation, including best practices and job characteristics. From financial crimes, digital forensics, and crime scene investigation to fraud, DNA, and workplace violence, this compilation helps students master investigation and offers seasoned investigators a resource to further their knowledge of recent developments in the field.

Unlike current books on the market that focus primarily on the technical aspects of surveillance and protection, Security Surveillance Centers: Design, Implementation, and Operation focuses on the operation of a security surveillance center. This text explains in detail the role of security surveillance, as well as the critical aspects of the design, implementation, and operation of security surveillance centers of all sizes. Step-by-step coverage of policy and procedures, as well as the inclusion of industry-specific operational forms, guarantee a practical, user-friendly text for all levels of readers. Intended for any individuals or organizations currently employing security surveillance systems, this book is an asset for all users, from trainees to supervisors, seeking to create a more secure environment for themselves and for others.

Introduction to Homeland Security: Principles of All-Hazards Risk Management, Fifth Edition, provides users with a substantially updated version of previous versions, clearly delineating the bedrock principles of preparing for, mitigating, managing, and recovering from emergencies and disasters, while also offering a balanced account of all aspects of homeland security. This new edition features coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, analysis of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for critical infrastructure protection, and examines the DHS "Blue Campaign to stop human trafficking. To provide added perspective, this edition features additional "another voice sections and examines the emergence of social media as a tool for reporting on homeland security issues. - Provides users with a comprehensive understanding of the bedrock principles of preparing for, mitigating, managing, and recovering from emergencies and disasters - Features coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and analysis of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for critical infrastructure protection - Examines the emergence of social media as a tool for reporting on homeland security issues