Police chiefs say national security strategy ignores local officials

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Va., published a report this week after completing a series of discussions with law enforcement officials from across the United States.

The discussions began with the intention of pinpointing suggestions to improve national security, but a single concern dominated the conversation, said Joseph Estey, chief of police in Hartford, Vt. and the association's president.

Estey said the current anti-terrorism approach fails to incorporate the perspective and experience of leaders in state and local law enforcement, and does not adequately engage the more than 700,000 police officers nationwide in intelligence-gathering and terrorism prevention. "This is more of a federal strategy than a national strategy," Estey said.

State and local law enforcement officials view federal policies as "overly prescriptive, burdensome and sometimes impractical," the report stated. Bringing them into policy discussions could help change that. "We're looking for a place at the table," Estey said.

In addition to giving input for national policies, Estey said there are other ways state and local law enforcement officials to contribute. For example, members of his group could develop best practices for various situations, based on their experience protecting cities, sporting events, college campuses and railroads. "We don't want to just complain about what's happening, but we want to highlight that we have expertise and a willingness to help," he said.

The report also called for continued federal funding for state and local police departments, including areas not considered prime terrorist targets. According to the report, reductions in three federal grant programs have "significantly reduced the ability of law enforcement agencies to combat both crime and terrorism."