Cyberterrorism: An examination of the preparedness of North Carolina local law enforcement.

Since the September 11th terror attacks in New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, the American public has remained on high alert for the possibility of another terror attack. Law enforcement personnel have received training in terrorism prevention and detection techniques, yet terrorists are constantly looking for ways to improve their methods of attack. Seemingly unrelated, the American public has become increasingly dependent on technology in every aspect of everyday life. It would only seem natural that terrorists would use this dependence on technology to their advantage. This brings to the forefront a relatively new concept in the area of terrorism: cyberterrorism. This paper will look at the idea of cyberterrorism and analyze the preparedness of 12 North Carolina police departments. The paper will also review the plans that these 12 agencies have for future cyberterrorism preparations. Policy suggestions will also be offered so that local law enforcement agencies can be prepared in the event of a cyberterror attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]