OXFORD, Miss. – How
will law enforcement and federal agents of the future keep Americans
safe from myriad threats, including terrorists attacks and natural
disasters?
That’s the question to be addressed in a public
discussion Monday (Sept. 15) at the University of Mississippi. The 7
p.m. program in Turner Center Auditorium will feature a panel of
representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Futures
Working Group and professors in UM’s Department of Legal Studies.
Discussion will focus on the expanding definition of the term homeland
security and what the federal department will look like in seven years,
said Carl Jensen, assistant professor of criminal justice and a retired
FBI agent.
“Since 9/11, we have been focused on homeland security,” he said. “We
created the Department of Homeland Security, but it is still an
evolving concept. After 9/11, homeland security meant security from
terrorists. After Katrina, it included natural disasters. Now, the
definition is expanding even further to include transnational crime,
pandemics and cyberwarfare.”
The FBI Futures Working Group is a collaboration between the FBI and
the Society for Police Futurists International. The tragedy of 9/11 was
the final catalyst for the formal creation of such a group to assist
law enforcement in dealing with the issues that will confront law
enforcement in the coming decades, according to the organization’s Web
site.
Marie Barnard, assistant applied sciences dean, said national security
is a critical issue in the upcoming presidential debate and election.
“The School of Applied Sciences is focused on promoting the health and
well-being not just of individuals but of communities and the nation as
well,” Barnard said. “This event is a great example of the kinds of
work our faculty are involved in that have important implications for
the nation. Dr. Jensen has brought together a great panel of experts
that promise to lead a lively discussion of the future of homeland
security.”
Jensen said the discussion is important because there is work still to be done.
“We need to start preparing now if we want – as futurists say – to
create preferred futures,” he said. “If we are stuck playing catch-up,
we never will catch up.”
For more information or assistance related to a disability, call
662-915-7900. To learn more about the School of Applied Sciences, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/applied?sciences .