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The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) is a brand name in public safety. Like many high-reliability organizations, its specialized units carry out advanced and technical work. Expanded mission tasking, compensation, and training have made these assignments a career ladder, but the antiquated selection and assignment policy threaten the integrity of the selection and recruitment process. FDNY may improve its selection for special operations based on what similar organizations do. By reviewing them, specifically the armed services and commercial diving, two high-reliability organizations, this study compares selection methods to identify validated testing, determine criteria, and develop a selection construct that can maintain or improve current selection policies. Findings reveal that cognitive ability testing, physical ability assessments, and in-depth character evaluations used to make personnel selections could enhance FDNY. This thesis recommends that further development of selection models would be beneficial for the organization and defend the FDNY against claims of bias, favoritism, and discrimination. Lack of validation has already cost New York City and the FDNY legal fines. Validation studies identify areas of selection that need improvement so the FDNY could reinforce traditional selection criteria and establish new and validated ways of identifying and cultivating talent with the fire service. Civilian, FDNY Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In 2001, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created to secure all modes of transportation from external threats such as terrorists and other actors with malicious intent. Currently, the most dangerous threat to aviation security is an insider threat. What TSA can do better to address insider threats is the primary focus of this thesis. This thesis utilizes a comparative analysis to examine the insider threat programs at the Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure in the United Kingdom to explore insider threat mitigation options for TSA. This thesis finds that TSA should establish a more thorough vetting of applicants and an ongoing review of current aviation employees. Accomplishing this recommendation will require multiple strategies, including establishing and strengthening partnerships to leverage expertise and maximize resources. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The Secret Service conducts Protective Intelligence (PI) investigations as part of its integrated mission of investigating financial crimes and protecting certain elected federal government officials. An integral part of the PI investigation is the PI interview. Although Special Agents and Uniformed Division Officers receive PI interview training, they still struggle with four key components of the interview: rapport and relationship building, elicitation, deception detection, and decision-making. As a result, they may not conduct thorough PI interviews, thus negatively impacting the PI investigation. Faulty PI investigations may result in unwanted outcomes for Secret Service protective interests. These outcomes may include death or injury to protectees, Secret Service employees, or the public. A potential solution is the mPEAK mindfulness program that the Secret Service already uses to improve employee wellness. This thesis reviews literature on mindfulness training and its utility in performance enhancement to determine to what extent the Secret Service should leverage mPEAK to improve PI interviewing and to offer recommendations for the inclusion of mPEAK in the current PI training curriculum. It finds that elements of mindfulness—presence, nonjudgment, enhanced listening skills, and increased attention—can improve investigators’ PI interview skills. Finally, this thesis gives recommendations for a working group to adapt mPEAK for improved PI interviewing. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Starting in 2013, the number of people requesting asylum via the credible fear program at the border between the United States and Mexico began to rapidly increase. Congress held a series of hearings during which politicians and other witnesses claimed that the surge was due to asylum seekers committing fraud en masse. This thesis reviews the literature and available data regarding asylum fraud to determine whether the claims of fraud in the credible fear program hold merit. This thesis also employs bivariate correlations and regression analyses to estimate the relationships between the number of credible fear receipts from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico and a selection of independent variables that measure conditions in those countries, U.S. and Mexican policy decisions, and other migration and benefit types. The review and statistical analyses suggest that the generalized claim of fraud does not satisfactorily explain the surge in credible fear receipts over the previous 10 years. Instead, the results suggest that the surge consisted of people genuinely seeking protection and that each country in this study has a unique set of variables that best explain credible fear receipts from that country alone. This thesis recommends that the U.S. government rely on statistical modeling to prepare for the fluctuations in the number of asylum seekers and to identify and help resolve the underlying factors that cause increases in people fleeing their countries. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The United States Asylum Program of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Department of Homeland Security offers protection to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. However, the program faces exploitation due to fraud. The government has yet to meaningfully incorporate federal law enforcement into asylum fraud deterrence because the government has not addressed disincentives for prosecutions and investigations. This thesis seeks to address how federal law enforcement can be better incentivized to prosecute asylum fraud. A case comparison method of international and domestic benefit-fraud prosecution initiatives against current asylum fraud-deterrence practices is utilized to understand how federal law enforcement can be better incorporated into asylum fraud-deterrence plans. The case comparison reveals several structural and resource issues currently disincentivizing asylum fraud prosecutions. This thesis recommends the establishment of a criminal immigration fraud section within the Department of Justice as well as the reprioritization of fraud in immigration law enforcement priorities to address those concerns. This research helps to address and highlight the lack of literature on asylum fraud and contributes to the consideration of a more comprehensive strategic asylum fraud deterrence plan. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The demographic makeup of fire departments, including firefighters and paramedics, often does not reflect communities. This thesis poses the following research question: What factors support and inhibit the recruitment and retention of African American firefighters and paramedics in the United States? The research relied on documented open-source information and data from fire and emergency medical service (EMS) departments in the United States. In examining issues affecting the recruitment and retention of African Americans in the profession, this study considers the history of the fire service and EMS, along with other internal and external factors that could support or inhibit the recruitment and retention of African Americans. The research offers several recommendations to remedy this issue, including mandating Courageous Conversations workshops, creating a diverse full-time recruiting team, developing pipeline partnerships, and changing hiring and training processes. Civilian, Memphis Fire Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The U.S. Border Patrol has become the face of immigration in the United States because of the wave of migrants at the southern border who continue to seek the American dream by extreme means. While the literature is replete with accounts of immigrants and their treacherous journeys, this thesis tells a different, yet equally relevant, story—that of the Border Patrol agent whose professional and personal life is challenged every day by such stressors as the threat of violence and danger, political pressures, and moral injury. This thesis seeks to identify alternative programs for building mental-health resilience as suicides among Border Patrol agents remain constant. To this end, this thesis explores mental health challenges and their causes and the barriers to seeking treatment that are unique to law enforcement and the Border Patrol. As the migrant crisis continues, it is essential that Border Patrol agents be provided with the necessary tools to maintain their resilience while protecting America. This thesis conducts a comparative case study to analyze two programs that the U.S. military utilizes (equine assistance therapy and the battle buddy system). This thesis finds that both programs benefit overall mental wellness and thus recommends that the U.S. Border Patrol consider implementing the two programs into its current resiliency plan. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Federal regulations aim to ensure grid reliability and harden it against outages; however, widespread outages continue. This thesis examines the spectrum of regulations to evaluate them. It outlines their structure, the regulations’ intent, and weighs them against evolving cyber and physical threats and natural disaster risks. Currently, the regulatory structure is incapable of providing uniform security. Federal standards protect only the transmission portion of the grid, leaving the distribution section vulnerable to attack due to varying regulations from state to state, or county to county. The regulations cannot adapt quickly enough to meet dynamic threats, rendering them less effective. Cyber threats can be so agile that protectors are unaware of vulnerabilities, and patching requirements are too lengthy, which increases the risk exposure. No current weather mitigation or standard is capable of protecting the grid despite regular natural disasters that cause power shutdowns. The thesis concludes that bridging these gaps requires not increasing protection standards, but redundancy. Redundancy, mirrored after the UK's infrastructure policy, is more likely to reduce failure risk through layered components and systems. Microgrids are proven effective in disasters to successfully deliver such redundancy and should be implemented across all critical infrastructure sectors. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Factions within Antifa were responsible for criminal activity during the social injustice protests of 2020 in the United States, leading to some arrests. Despite the economic destruction caused nationally during the protests and Antifa’s continual involvement in criminal acts, not much has been done to hold the group accountable. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act offers one potential option to address Antifa. This thesis explores how the RICO statute has been applied to criminal enterprises similar to Antifa and how it might be applied to prosecute Antifa. This thesis uses a combination of two qualitative research methods: legal analysis and case studies. The legal analysis focuses on the RICO Act’s application to non-economic enterprises and the related First Amendment issues involved when the act is applied to protest groups. The case studies focus on the successful application of the RICO Act to other types of criminal enterprises such as criminal street gangs, white supremacist groups, and other non-traditional criminal enterprises. This thesis finds that the RICO Act’s use for non-traditional criminal enterprises has withstood legal challenges, making it a viable option for combating Antifa. Civilian, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Prisons and jails house inmates susceptible to radicalization and recruitment by extremist groups, which necessitates an intelligence collection program to detect and disrupt this activity. Unfortunately, barriers exist within the State of Texas that hinder effective correctional intelligence sharing. This thesis asks, What can be done to improve the level of intelligence sharing in regard to extremism in correctional environments in the State of Texas? What benefits toward this effort could be derived from a centrally administered and coordinated intelligence framework? By examining existing programs, this thesis identifies barriers, including limited access to intelligence due to reliance on federal agencies, which require lengthy background checks and clearances; the lack of a robust network between facilities and law enforcement, which prevents the comparison of crucial data; and minimal inclusion of corrections within existing legal frameworks related to these threats. Using a case study analysis, this thesis examines three frameworks as possible models to improve information sharing. It argues that the State of Texas should use executive orders to create a centralized entity to coordinate intelligence to more effectively address threats within corrections. Civilian, Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Office of the Inspector General Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Over a century of drug policy and law has failed to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. Drug policy and law have focused on reducing the supply of illicit drugs but have failed to consider factors that influence the demand for those drugs. The U.S. now faces an unprecedented crisis of opioid use, abuse, overdose, and death largely due to these failures.A gap analysis was conducted to identify shortcomings in existing policy. Gap analysis is used to determine whether a policy as written reaches desired goals and outcomes through its implementation. Biopsychosocial theory (BPS) was used to frame the recommendations for policy change. The BPS framework of human behavior and well-being encompasses all known influences on a person when attempting to diagnose or treat an illness, permitting a thorough examination of a policy’s ability to meet the needs of a population. The gap analysis shows the current policy does not produce desired outcomes in terms of drug abuse prevention, and women are affected more negatively than men. Women are at greater risk of losing their children, losing their jobs, being unable to find educational resources, and becoming homeless if they become addicted to opioids. The BPS suggests a shift in policy and law from supply reduction to demand reduction, which is critical to the future of women most at risk for drug abuse, overdose, and death. Civilian, Department of Social Services, State of California Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Over the last several years, law enforcement’s image in the United States has been tarnished by the unlawful acts of a number of bad actors. These actions have negatively influenced the perception of law enforcement, particularly within some minority communities located in metropolitan cities nationwide. To strengthen its public profile, law enforcement is exploring methods to improve its image. This thesis investigates how law enforcement can develop positive social media exposure to improve police–community relations in the current social climate. Using qualitative and quantitative research, this thesis examined the different methods the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC, the Boston Police Department, and the Portland Police Bureau used to develop positive social media exposure on Twitter directly before and after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. To assess the departments’ methods, this research analyzed their respective tweets by their frequency, method of posting, and the number of reactions they generated within this timeframe. As a result, this thesis finds that nationwide protests created significant exposure opportunities for law enforcement. This thesis concludes that to improve its image, law enforcement should continuously promote positive messaging on Twitter by highlighting positive work, conveying solidarity with the community, and exhibiting a willingness to work with the public. Civilian, State Govt Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Police officers historically suffer from higher rates of suicide, alcohol and substance abuse, relationship troubles, and other physical and mental health issues than the general population. Over the past several decades, law enforcement agencies have turned to employee assistance programs (EAPs) and wellness programs to help their members manage and mitigate the negative effects of stress commonly associated with the profession. But how well do EAPs and wellness programs work for the law enforcement community? To answer this question, this thesis utilized a structured, focused comparative multi-case study. Five police departments from across the United States were examined to determine program relevancy, adequacy of implementation, barriers and enablers, and efficacy. This study found that none of the five departments collects and analyzes data on how many of its members use the services or for what reasons they are seeking services. Without the collection and analysis of data consequently, the departments cannot reliably demonstrate that their EAP and wellness programs benefit department members. It is recommended law enforcement EAP and wellness programs develop and implement a standard method of collecting, analyzing, and sharing data. It is possible to collect data without compromising confidentiality and only once these data are available can EAPs ensure that they are best serving members of the law enforcement community. Civilian, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis analyzes the training provided by the United States Secret Service’s Protective Intelligence Division (PID) to its recruits and special agents (SAs) to effectively conduct interviews with mentally ill individuals during protective intelligence (PI) investigations. These interviews are vital because they provide SAs with information to assess the risk of a subject’s carrying out an attack against a Secret Service protectee. Responding to the 1960s’ deinstitutionalization movement, which saw a rise in law enforcement interactions with individuals with mental illness, many agencies developed advanced mental illness training programs. The PID provides its recruits and SAs with 28 hours of mental illness and interview training, which may need to be revised given the importance of PI investigations involving mentally ill individuals. After analyzing the current PI training program, this thesis provides research and recommendations for effective mental illness training programs used by other law enforcement agencies, including the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), DEFUSE, CIT Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, and Mental Health First Aid. The study recommends incorporating specific elements from these training programs into the Secret Service’s PI training program to provide more comprehensive risk assessments of potential threats and unwanted outcomes against protectees when dealing with individuals with mental illness. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In recent years, the United States has exhibited sustained socio-political violence and extremism. This thesis investigates whether the United States is experiencing a pre-insurgency state in the insurgency life cycle. A comparative analysis, utilizing domestic insurgency markers provided by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Guide to the Analysis of Insurgency, examines historical domestic insurgencies in Colombia, Northern Ireland, and North Carolina against the current socio-political environment in the United States. This analysis suggests that the United States is exhibiting characteristics of an open domestic insurgency, as demonstrated in the case studies. This thesis recommends enacting necessary political reforms and instating a national year of service, administered by the U.S. military and modeled after the Israeli Defense Forces. Civilian, Spartanburg County Emergency Services Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Urban municipalities feature pedestrian-rich environments with limited mitigation measures to prevent vehicle-caused pedestrian fatalities. Limited pedestrian protections represent an attractive target for nefarious actors to commit vehicle ramming attacks (VRA). There are defensive-minded methodologies that afford greater mitigation against deadly vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions and VRAs in urban pedestrian-rich environments. This thesis examines the vulnerability of pedestrian-rich environments to vehicle-caused pedestrian fatalities and provide recommendations for stakeholders to better secure the environments. It also examines both the target hardening and protective security methodologies using a theoretical analysis model. By analyzing these defensive-minded methodologies, this thesis explores a homogenous framework for securing urban pedestrian-rich environments: the target hardening/protective security spectrum (THPSS). This thesis concludes with recommendations for urban municipalities to implement to better protect their respective pedestrian-rich environments from deadly vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions and VRAs. This thesis provides recommendations to better secure outdoor dining establishments, street fairs, road races, and urban public parks from vehicle-caused fatalities. Civilian, New York City Police Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Law enforcement agencies lack clear guidance on best practices for managing agency-wide risk. Conventional risk management focuses on reducing the risk of legal liability for police misconduct. This legal liability paradigm, which targets the narrow range of risks that lead to municipal financial liability, persists despite significant limitations. This thesis uses the case study method to examine the risk management practices of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and the Oakland Police Department (OPD), two agencies whose approach to managing risk, having been shaped by federal court oversight and community activism, embraces a more capacious understanding of the harms caused by police activities. This thesis analyzes two established risk management strategies, early intervention systems and incident review boards, and two promising strategies, Compstat-style risk management meetings and sentinel event reviews. The study finds that early intervention systems may gain utility from advances in machine learning, that incident review boards play an essential role in ensuring an agency’s continual risk-oriented self-scrutiny, and that sentinel event reviews can align agency practices with community values. Finally, the thesis finds that OPD’s risk management meetings, which it uses to provide strategic oversight of agency-wide risk, are effective, and recommends agencies consider implementing a similarly iterative and holistic process. Civilian, Oakland Police Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The concept of regulating the physical security of commercial spaceports has received little attention. Currently, no federal agency is responsible for developing physical security standards or enforcing regulatory compliance within the industry. This thesis examines the need to create and apply ground-based physical security standards to commercial space facilities within the United States. This thesis explores three policy options as potential paths forward if commercial space travel is designated as critical infrastructure and assesses their effectiveness, cost, political challenges, and viability. The analysis determines that taking proactive measures now will mitigate the potential costs and impacts of an attack and would save substantial amounts of money, keep a burgeoning market on track, and could save lives. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that implementing a regulatory approach like the one employed by the Transportation Security Administration’s surface transportation program would be effective if it prevents the explosion of one Falcon 9 rocket, or similar, every approximately 188 years. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The Los Angeles Area Urban Area Security Initiative (LAA UASI) is a federal grant program that takes a regional approach to grant projects that improve safety and security in Los Angeles. The research conducted for this thesis aimed to contribute to ongoing efforts to enhance the LAA UASI’s safety, provide a framework for collaborative networks, and create a positive environment with real-time information for managing large-scale incidents, including natural and human-made disasters. The research found that the LAA UASI has significantly enhanced the Los Angeles community’s preparedness and response capabilities and identified some areas for improvement. After analyzing best practices from many sectors, including private industry, public safety, the energy sector, not-for-profit governance, and corporate business, this thesis offers several recommendations for future implementation of the program to enhance overall collaboration and cooperation—the bridge to building strong networks of partners and keeping American cities safe. Overall, this thesis lends valuable insights and recommendations for decision-makers working to improve the safety and security of the Los Angeles community. Civilian, Los Angeles City Fire Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

As disasters become more frequent, intense, and costly, all levels of government are incentivized to reduce disaster risk. FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides competitive funding to cover much of the cost of mitigation projects after presidentially declared disasters. By creating a database of mitigation priorities (as quantified in FEMA-mandated state hazard mitigation plans) and analyzing their correlation with the actual distribution of HMGP funding, this thesis finds that there is no statistically significant relationship between priorities established for mitigation funding and the way it is ultimately spent. This lack of correlation is a negative impact of grant cost sharing. By requiring participating governments to provide a significant portion of the funding, federal law limits participation by poorer jurisdictions, regardless of how much money those projects may save FEMA in the long term. By eliminating the cost-sharing requirement and funding the entirety of selected projects, Congress would increase the pool of potential participants, make critical mitigation assistance available to under-resourced communities, and increase the value of the program by empowering states to select only the most valuable projects for funding. Civilian, South Carolina Emergency Management Division Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis explores what can be done to improve the quality of life of U.S. inmates who suffer from mental health conditions (MHCs). To that end, this thesis uses a comparative analysis of correctional methods applied in the United States and Norway. These two case studies were selected because Norwegian prisons have spectacularly low recidivism rates compared to the American correctional system. The analysis shows that American prisons focus on punitive corrections while Norwegian prisons focus on rehabilitation. American inmates with MHCs could benefit from some of Norway’s penal philosophies such as decreasing the ratio of inmates to corrections officers, building smaller prisons designed for rehabilitation and mental health therapy, and federalizing all prisons. Federalizing all prisons would help mitigate the challenges corrections officials face when trying to secure appropriate levels of funding, which directly impact the quality of programming, staffing, and training. Moreover, providing mental health, employment, and educational opportunities to inmates with MHCs while they are incarcerated contributes to improving their quality of life once they are released. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis argues that drug traffickers and law enforcement are caught in a cycle of competitive adaptation and that traffickers have consistently adapted to law enforcement pressure. It uses a history of cocaine trafficking from 1970 to 2000 and a case study on “narco-submarines” to provide both a macro and micro view of the competition between law enforcement and drug traffickers in the Caribbean. This thesis finds that since its inception, cocaine interdiction has been largely ineffective despite the major increases in law enforcement resources from the 1970s to the 1990s, including the use of the U.S. military to support counternarcotics operations. Interdiction has been ineffective because traffickers can rapidly adapt to law enforcement pressure by changing their smuggling methods and shifting their routes. Captain, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

History has shown that homeland security is a learning process and an evolution, whereby threats are identified and strategies and policies are developed and implemented. Those strategies and policies are occasionally tested in the real world and refined to adapt to the new threat landscape. The modern homeland security apparatus is characterized by overlapping and interconnecting legal and jurisdictional responsibilities that intertwine response agencies and require a whole-of-government response. A reorganization of the federal government in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, created a plethora of new policies and procedures. This restructuring produced overlapping interests and responsibilities that required cross-disciplines, jurisdictions, and authorities to manage threats appropriately. To adapt, the federal government developed several strategies and frameworks for organizing these disparate departments and agencies. This thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of the Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) Plan and how it successfully connects federal organizations to adapt and deal with threats in the unique environment of the maritime domain. Also, it identifies several elements that make the MOTR Plan successful, so the plan may be exported to other areas such as federal, state, or local governments and international partners interested in interagency collaboration. Lieutenant Commander, United States Coast Guard Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The number of electric vehicles in use in the United States is rapidly increasing. Without proper preemptive education, this new technology places first and second responders in potentially fatal situations every day. First responders are placed in dangerous situations when they are not equipped with the essential knowledge about the threats they face when responding to electric vehicle–related emergencies. This thesis investigates how first responders can develop and sustain a functional knowledge of electric vehicles, including technological changes, to handle emergencies safely for responders and citizens. The best way to provide a timely solution to the current knowledge gap for firefighters about electric vehicles is to offer rescue sheets to first responders through a web-based mobile application. The rescue documents are open-source, readily available information that manufacturers provide for use by first and second responders. The application will aid in usable documents and sharable current available information. Action research methodology tested if and how a mobile catalog could (1) be created and (2) be used by first responders. Civilian, FDNY Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Criminals have increasingly embraced cryptocurrency, accounting for its explosion. This thesis traces cryptocurrency’s growth and the government’s failure to combat it and provides a guide for state and local law enforcement to identify and curb illegal cryptocurrency. It highlights cryptocurrency’s key exploitable characteristics and recommends agency policies and procedures, pinpointing some drivers of organizational change to accelerate state and local law enforcement agencies’ preparedness. The thesis offers cases to demonstrate how law enforcement mastered DNA analysis by creating policies and procedures, increasing knowledge, and acknowledging legal precedents. The work reveals a critical need for cryptocurrency training and education at state and local levels. Identifying cryptocurrency in criminal investigations and populating shared databases is a pressing need, so leveraging federal partnerships and educational institutions for training should advance efforts. Collaborating with private companies on cryptocurrency identification software will also change the game. In sum, sharing intelligence, performing community outreach for prevention, and reexamining cold cases through new cryptocurrency intelligence may stem these crimes. Civilian, New Jersey State Police Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

American law enforcement relies heavily on open-source intelligence (OSINT) to effectively protect the citizens and communities that they serve. Because of technological advancements, this form of intelligence has rapidly evolved, making it difficult for law enforcement to efficiently collect, analyze, and disseminate this information. This thesis reviews current law enforcement use of open-source intelligence and conducts a case study on the use of open-source intelligence prior to and during the initial Ukraine invasion by Russian military forces. The research identifies social media open-source intelligence as the most heavily relied-upon form and a lack of collection standards, low public sentiment, and law enforcement culture as obstacles to its full potential use. Unprecedented crowdsourcing and high positive public sentiment toward Ukraine during the invasion were highlighted as key factors to success in defending against invading Russian forces. Forming a national OSINT standards committee, improving public sentiment to encourage public crowdsourcing, and forming a national OSINT database would increase law enforcement open-source intelligence effectiveness. Civilian, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

After the events of 9/11, facial recognition technology (FRT) emerged as a security solution for identifying and verifying individuals in a homeland security setting. Although FRT demonstrates security benefits, the public has not widely accepted the government’s use of the technology. FRT critics raise ethical and societal concerns regarding the negative impact of the technology on the public, including privacy concerns, constitutional rights violations, biased and inaccurate technology, and data management. How can FRT be implemented in a way that is both efficient and ethical? This thesis analyzes FRT through a three-pronged approach. First, the thesis applies the “How to Do It Right” ethical framework to a government agency’s decision-making process. The second step identifies ethical operating principles through a crosswalk of the varied and often inconsistent operating principles published by the security industry, government audit agencies, and watchdog groups. Finally, the thesis utilizes a real-world case study to explore an operational FRT program and illustrate best practices. It recommends that following an ethical framework during decision-making and incorporating ethical principles and best practices into FRT programs during development and implementation mitigates the public’s ethical and societal concerns. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis investigates how implementing strategic communications can counter domestic violent extremist (DVE) behavior in the United States. Strategic communications use counter-messaging based on research and intelligence of the group’s behaviors and perceptions. To develop strategic communications to counter violence, this thesis explores narratives, how they work, their persuasiveness, and how emotions play a role in influencing others. Extremists use social media to propagate images depicting violence and language promoting physical violence. This thesis explores inoculation strategies, nudge theory, psychological and social approaches, and counternarratives to counter DVEs. Reasoned action theory is used as a template for determining how background information, beliefs, and intentions form extremists’ behavior and action. Four case studies are presented using DVE group examples from anarchists, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, and Atomwaffen. Each case study looks at the group’s ideology, violence, social media, demographics, and narratives to better understand the group’s themes. Next, using the reasoned action theory model as well as knowledge of the group and messaging theme, the thesis provides an example of how to craft a counternarrative. This thesis recommends that government and law enforcement invest in inoculation and nudge strategies as well as artificial intelligence, and create special strategic communication teams or units. Civilian, Washington County Sheriff's Office Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Mandates instituted across the United States to reduce transmission of COVID-19 varied greatly by state and metropolitan area. State law, governorship, and political alliance were important factors that influenced the creation, implementation, and enforcement of public health mandates. Moreover, states with Republican governorship were less likely to implement public health mandates and more likely to delay doing so than states with Democratic governorship, leading to a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. This thesis analyzes COVID-19 case and mortality data by state and evaluates differences between states based on socioeconomic factors, governorship, and comorbidities associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Survey and Johns Hopkins University’s Data Hub were utilized to build a data set to examine these differences. Significant underlying themes among increased COVID-19 cases and mortality included lower educational attainment and lower socioeconomic status. This thesis found that by examining chronic diseases, conditions, and other factors that contribute to poor outcomes by state, it is possible to determine alternative approaches to promote better COVID-19 outcomes overall. This thesis recommends utilizing existing data on chronic disease and poor health behaviors to guide pandemic response and adopting a consistent national approach to mitigation strategies. Civilian, Knox County Health Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Disaster management is a complex practice that relies on access to and the usability of critical information to develop strategies for effective decision-making. The emergence of wearable internet of things (IoT) technology has attracted the interests of several major industries, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies to date. This thesis asks, How can disaster management incorporate wearable IoT technology in operations and decision-making practices in disaster response? How IoT is applied in other prominent industries, including construction, manufacturing and distribution, the Department of Defense, and public safety, provides a basis for furthering its application to challenges affecting agency coordination. The critical needs of disaster intelligence in the context of hurricanes, structural collapses, and wildfires are scrutinized to identify gaps that wearable technology could address in terms of information-sharing in multi-agency coordination and the decision-making practices that routinely occur in disaster response. Last, the specifics of wearable technology from the perspective of the private consumer and commercial industry illustrate its potential to improve disaster response but also acknowledge certain limitations including technical capabilities and information privacy and security. Civilian, Virginia Beach Fire Department / FEMA - USAR VATF-2 Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In urban communities, Black youth’s behaviors are often subjected to over-criminalization and punitive disciplinary processes at the hands of aggressive policing strategies and policies. Educating law enforcement on the impact of traumatic events and stressors on the behaviors of Black youth can offer new insight into understanding the effects of the phenomenon. This thesis uses qualitative methodology, including storytelling techniques, to develop a story of a young Black girl suffering from the ill effects of trauma as she interacts with police officers and the juvenile justice system. The fictional narrative along with historical background of policing in urban communities highlight the daily struggles of Black youth due to policing, economic conditions, and community violence, amongst other issues. The account of a traumatized youth searching for normalcy and security from her own community and finding safety with an empathetic police officer provides context for police officers seeking to understand the role they play in urban communities. Aggressive policing strategies can perpetuate the effects of traumatic events and stressors, but the actions of individual officers can be essential in limiting the impact trauma can have on Black youth. Civilian, Metropolitan Police Department D.C. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis contends that the recent electoral violence that arose around election cycles, voting rights, and democratic participation by non-White citizens is a familiar extremism. It is a historic terror, rooted in Reconstruction. After the Civil War, America underwent a period of fundamental change that many considered revolutionary to their existing identities, and so that looming change was met with counter-revolutionary force and terror. But while historic, it is not anachronistic. A similar violence arose during America’s “Second Reconstruction,” the Civil Rights movement, which featured many of the same issues of equality and increased access to democratic processes by non-White communities. Accordingly, this thesis deconstructs the electoral terror of Reconstruction into a set of common drivers that can then be used as a framework for understanding what motivates episodic, electoral violence in the United States. Put together, these drivers contextualize a particular extremism that is common to the 1860s, the 1960s, and the early 21st century. Outstanding Thesis Civilian, Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Because cultural norms influence how citizens perceive legitimacy of officer conduct, tension can result when officer comportment violates citizens' perceptions of acceptable behavior. Since culture, specifically honor culture, may play a role in the perception of police legitimacy, this research suggests one way to maintain legitimacy and manage the tension during police–citizen encounters is for officers to understand the specific framework of honor culture. Several studies on honor cultures demonstrate that honor-related behaviors can negatively affect citizens’ interactions with others, sometimes violently. Although a considerable amount of literature addresses honor cultures, no known literature explores how an understanding of honor culture could influence police–citizen encounters. This thesis integrates a review of literature on honor culture with a series of thought experiments to explore whether officer knowledge of honor culture and associated reputation defense behaviors could enhance police–citizen encounters. The research suggests that a deeper understanding of honor culture and its effect on police–citizen encounters can help police better maintain legitimacy and manage tensions resulting from ill-perceived volatile police-citizen encounters. The findings suggest benefits of police training to better understand honor culture, its applicability to policing, and its effects on citizens' receptivity to officers' comportment during police-citizen encounters. Civilian, City of Santa Cruz Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Emergency management agencies nationally are increasingly involved in the management of wicked problems in their communities. This thesis explores how the government can use emergency management agencies in response to wicked problems. To answer this question, this thesis takes a multi-step approach that compares the collaborative approach to wicked problem–solving and the ways in which emergency management fosters collaboration for disaster response. The comparison shows that emergency management’s tools can support collaborative responses to wicked problems, but capacity problems in the field of emergency management hinder involvement. This thesis’s conclusion recognizes that concerns about emergency management’s existing workload, underfunded and limited budgets, and the potential negative impacts of a new mission balanced with existing missions are valid. Ultimately, this thesis recognizes four possible outcomes for decision-makers. If emergency management is assigned the wicked problem space without additional resources, both mission areas will falter. If properly resourced, emergency management can adequately address wicked problems and their current workload. The third outcome leaves emergency management outside of the wicked problem mission, while the fourth outcome is to take what works from emergency management and apply it across the government. Ultimately, each outcome alters emergency management’s ability to respond to major disasters. Civilian, Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This research sought to determine whether current use-of-force models are applicable in situations without a human actor regarding the interdiction of autonomous vehicles. The project involved a historical overview of use-of-force policies and a qualitative analysis of current use-of-force recommendations by professional law enforcement organizations. The project also analyzed documented interactions between law enforcement and autonomous vehicles, featuring responses from a focus group, to gain law enforcement’s perspective on the use of force on autonomous vehicles. Ultimately, this project finds that current use-of-force models are unsuitable in situations without another human. The current lack of guidance for officers on the front line may lead to delayed and inconsistent responses, the improper use of force, or inaction, which could lead to loss of life. It recommends that a separate decision-making framework for the interdiction of autonomous vehicles be created to fill the gap in current use-of-force models. This new decision-making framework requires a constant evaluative process to address the potential for second-order effects and to account for such variables in the decision-making process. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In the last decade, there has been an effort to reform police practices, defund police agencies, and decriminalize certain offenses. In addition, in an effort to reduce police-citizen encounters, agencies nationwide have changed some primary offenses to secondary, meaning law enforcement could not create an encounter solely for that offense, such as one non-functional headlight. This recent legislation changes police functions and requires agencies to modify how they evaluate officer effectiveness. This thesis looks at different police evaluation methods to determine what measures can be used for success. Two agencies were used as case studies; their methods, which included qualitative and quantitative metrics, were examined, as were the research and opinions of other police scholars. Ultimately, the present study found there is no single method of conducting police evaluations, and that more than one model may be successful. This thesis found that training for first line supervisors is essential as they have the most predominant role in the mentoring and evaluating the routine patrol officer. Another key finding is that effectiveness does not necessarily mean enforcement; effectiveness can include presence and community engagement. To measure effectiveness, agencies and supervisors must dedicate time to documenting how often and the manner in which evaluations were conducted. Finally, agencies must constantly evolve their evaluation systems to match their communities’ needs. Civilian, Virginia State Police Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The rapid advancement of synthetic biology along with the rapid emergence of technology has, and continues to provide, widespread benefit to humanity. While this advancement has been responsible for advanced medical treatments as well as environmental sustainability, there is inherent risk associated with some research attributed to synthetic biology. The benefit/risk trade-off, however, has raised uncertainty in both the scientific community and among world leaders and policy makers. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased concerns, globally, about dual-use and gain-of-function research. While benefits may ensue, unpredictable outcomes and unintended consequences could have a disastrous impact on the world. The potential harm an engineered biological organism could have on the global community presents a significant threat to the security of the United States. While some progress, in terms of processes and procedures, has been made to reduce potential harm, there is still further need for uniform regulation and oversight. An organism that has been engineered utilizing synthetic biology must not introduce a biological risk that produces a global threat. Civilian, Phoenix Fire Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis answers two questions: How has the difference between western states’ forestry and fire management practices affected wildland fire response and how can forestry and fire management stakeholders address wildfire scale and frequency in the western United States? Through a comparative analysis approach, the research presented in this thesis showcases three western states (Arizona, California, and Alaska) to offer a glimpse at similar wildfire behavior and impacts across the West. Thus, the research provided in this thesis applies to most western states and underscores the point that resiliency against wildfires is imperative to ensuring the protection of the nation’s natural resources, communities, and critical infrastructure. As a result, this thesis offers four recommendations that include community involvement, the allocation and utilization of resources (i.e., personnel, equipment, and technology), immediate action from policymakers, and examination of alternative solutions (i.e., technology and “Smokey the Beaver”). In all, the wildfire threat will continue to evolve in the United States, especially in the West, so action must be taken, and solutions must be identified for years to come to mitigate wildfire impacts on forests, communities, and critical infrastructure. Civilian, Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This thesis explores trends in far-right ideological beliefs and the potential risk of radicalization among U.S. first responders. Although research exists on radicalization, violent extremism, and United States military members and veterans, there are minimal data on this topic related to U.S. first responders. This thesis explores radicalization and violent extremism through a comprehensive analysis of published data and findings related to risk factors, motivations, definitions, events, and trends and also analyzes data collected via a national survey of U.S. fire and police organizations. This study integrates these analyses to develop a framework for understanding the radicalization process in first responders and supply recommendations on future research and counter-radicalization policy. The study concludes that there appears to be a growing proliferation of far- right ideological risk factors and motivations in our active military, veterans, and first responders ranks, which requires action by leadership and practitioners as this threat from within evolves. Civilian, Charlotte Fire Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In the course of a firefighting career, firefighters attend line-of-duty funerals for other firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical service (EMS) professionals, and perhaps members of the armed forces from within their community, in addition to funerals of friends and family members. The basic purpose of a funeral in society allows the family and friends to say goodbye to a loved one. The fire service does a lot more. The fire service communal response and normalization of death rituals are something that few, if any, other death-related (DR) occupations do as effectively. This thesis considers the importance of death rituals from a historical perspective. It then examines mental resilience by comparing culture, community, and social identity in the fire service with other DR occupations. Current research on death and trauma in the professional workplace is limited and there is an absence of research connecting consistent participation in death rituals through funeral attendance with mental resilience when encountering death, in particular a line-of-duty death. Policy recommendations include instituting programs that normalize funeral attendance, and additional areas of research include studying those who have had early positive experiences with death and dying and their mental resiliency today. Civilian, FDNY Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The credibility and legitimacy of law enforcement agencies are largely contingent on the moral behavior of their workforces. Recent and historical instances of moral failure have reduced public trust in law enforcement organizations and undermined their missions. A better understanding of the determinants of moral behavior and drivers of moral failure in policing is needed to craft meaningful strategies that enhance the moral competence of individual officers. Using a relational developmental systems (RDS) approach, this thesis investigates the individual, team, organizational, and situational dimensions of law enforcement to identify conditions that influence moral behavior. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart CRASH scandal, Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force scandal, and death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are used as case studies to test theoretical assertions and provide consistency. This research affirms the linkage between the individual and context, as posited by RDS. Findings of this work include the importance of value congruence, a multidimensional preference for disengagement, and the power exercised by salience, socialization, and self-efficacy in manifesting moral action. From these conclusions, this thesis recommends integrating ethical considerations throughout law enforcement training, reimaging the field training program as a moral apprenticeship, and adopting a just-culture approach to ethical accountability. Civilian, City of Yuma Fire Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Nudge theory is the popular new kid on the policy block promising low-cost, effective, liberty-preserving interventions that promote individuals’ welfare. However, effective nudges do not appear to be prevalent in homeland security relative to its popularity. This thesis looks for such through a systematic and gray literature search. It further explores what makes nudges generally effective and whether such principles can be used in creating effective nudges in homeland security contexts. This is accomplished by exploring popular nudge frameworks, analyzing meta-analyses and scoping reviews, and discussing known nudge limitations. Lastly, assuming homeland security nudges can be effective, an exploration of significant ethical issues is provided. The resultant findings support the lack of popularity for effective nudges in homeland security. However, the exploration of nudge effectiveness generally gives reason to believe homeland security nudges can be effective (and this thesis provides a four-question framework to help guide the creation of such). Further, this thesis finds legitimate debate surrounds general nudge ethicality, but develops a six-question framework for homeland security practitioners to help determine whether their proposed intervention is both a nudge and ethical. Ultimately, this thesis should be used as a foundation from which to carefully explore and potentially create, implement, and test homeland security nudges. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Improving relationships between tribal nations and federal agencies to improve disaster management outcomes is critical because, as part of the homeland security community, tribal lands form both north and south U.S. borders, employ 4,500 law enforcement personnel, and comprise 100 million acres. However, since the Department of Homeland Security’s creation, tribes’ homeland security preparedness has achieved varying levels of success. This thesis seeks to identify ways to engage and enhance existing relationships between the federal government and tribes and strengthen tribal nations’ disaster preparedness capabilities. It investigates what steps the Department of Homeland Security can take to strengthen tribal–federal relations to improve the homeland security enterprise’s disaster preparedness and best serve the needs of tribal nations. Employing a comparative case study analysis of interviews and open-source research, this thesis presents information from interviews with the leadership of the Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition and public safety leadership from the Choctaw, Otoe-Missouria, and Citizen Pottawatomi Nations. Although multiple successful efforts have been achieved in Indian Country, several tribal response efforts suggest the need for better resourcing. This thesis recommends resources, tribal-specific policies, and cultural awareness training to improve these efforts between tribal and federal governments. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Includes Supplementary Material This thesis examines perceptions of the Chico Police Department’s (CPD) School Resource Officer (SRO) Program through the lens of middle school and high school teachers in the rural Chico Unified School District (CUSD) and explores the program’s role in preparing teachers to respond to school violence and teachers’ perceptions of school violence and the program’s efficacy in reducing violence on campus. This thesis presents a qualitative, thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with teachers at CUSD high schools and middle schools. The interviews revealed that teachers’ perceptions of violence on campus ebb and flow with the national narrative and affect their feelings of physical and psychological safety and, sometimes, the view that violence on campus is inevitable. Thus, the presence of an SRO improves their perspective of safety, provides opportunities to mentor students, and serves as a conduit for information sharing. Even though teachers’ overall perception of SROs is positive, teachers cited a lack of visibility, deficient communication, incompetence, laziness, and a lack of transparency as concerns. These themes from the teachers’ interviews led to the following recommendations for the CPD: include teachers in safety plans, clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of SROs, establish a consistent SRO presence on campus, conduct safety tabletop exercises, and develop a mentoring program for students. Civilian, Chico Police Department Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The United States is more politically divided than any other wealthy democracy in modern history. This thesis examines the role of discourse in the polarization process and suggests a way to change course. Using a social constructionist approach and an analytical framework focusing on definitions, metaphors, and identity, it analyzes the discourse of the Civil War and 9/11 to understand how these elements influence the understanding and outcomes of sociocultural events. It then examines the current political landscape, including the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, through the same discursive lens. This thesis finds that today’s political discourse is strikingly similar to that of the Civil War and 9/11, pitting the “true heirs” of the nation against an evil “other” using the same rhetorical devices. This similarity suggests that the language of division is consistent, and that the framework is broadly applicable. Given the catastrophic outcomes of the Civil War and 9/11 and the subsequent Global War on Terror (GWOT), the nation must take steps to change its discourse. This thesis concludes by providing recommendations that take advantage of the transformative potential of the framework’s components, which include pragmatic definitions, generative metaphors, and complex identities. Civilian, City of Tamarac Fire Rescue Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The events of January 6, 2021, raised several questions about whether democracy in the United States is backsliding. With domestic extremism on the rise and polarization deepening, the nation’s society is fragile and, thus, requires a framework that can provide the breadth and depth necessary to examine these core issues. This thesis aims to explore the relationship between societal fragility—social norms, institutions, trust, and social cohesion—and extremism. It examines democracy, extremism, and then fragility, including current frameworks and their limitations in applicability to a nation such as the United States. Based on these examinations, the societal fragility framework, along with its core components, was established. Using a case study analysis, the thesis examines the January 6 events in the United States and the 2022 presidential election in Brazil through the societal fragility lens, as both case studies present high levels of extremism and political violence. This thesis finds that societal fragility creates an environment that fosters extremism. It recommends that democracies prioritize rebuilding a culture of tolerance within society as well as institutional trust through transparency and accountability. Furthermore, by implementing methods to hold political leaders accountable for their use of undemocratic rhetoric, democracies can improve societal fragility and minimize the growth of extremism. Civilian, Gainesville Fire Rescue Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In 2022, the Biden administration published an executive order in which the growing use of digital assets was deemed a national security threat. While this thesis focuses on cryptocurrency, it is more broadly about how the United States can—and should—employ a whole-of-government approach to counter a continuously evolving and adapting threat environment. This thesis begins by examining several assumptions regarding malign actors’ adaptations, the adoption and use of emerging technologies by these actors, and strategies for the United States in applying its instruments of power to combat these developments. The research assumes that many adversarial entities engage in multiple activities, such as terrorism, insurgency, and criminality; as these organizations form new alliances, they are also developing new evasion techniques; and this increasingly amorphous threatscape, defined by new malign alliances and technological tools, will require the United States to utilize the entire homeland security enterprise, from the Department of Defense to law enforcement, to confront these actors. This thesis utilizes these assumptions as a foundation to construct an informed policy options analysis that puts forth potential, long-term frameworks to counter this growing diversity of threat actors and their use of increasingly technical and sophisticated tools of evasion. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The United States shares a special relationship with the Freely Associated States (FAS), resulting in a virtual extension of the United States. Given the importance of the Pacific Islands Countries (PIC) and the virtually borderless linkages of the FAS as a result of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) agreements, the United States must look for ways to comprehensively invest in policing capacity-building efforts within the region. By analyzing Australia’s efforts in the Melanesia region and the actions of the United States in the Caribbean to combat drugs, this thesis proposes a resources-optimized policy framework to overlay onto the Pacific. This thesis uses the Law Enforcement Domain Evaluation Model (LE DEM) to integrate the two policy approaches. The LE DEM incorporates the continuum of preventative measures to response options to enable the recommendation of a comprehensive policing capacity-building strategy in the Pacific. Those recommendations include expanding and equipping the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) West; establishing a Micronesian fusion center; creating four supporting specialized joint task forces; and enabling digital and chemical forensics, maritime domain awareness, and financial auditing. In addition, it proposes five lines of investment efforts for joint technology and asset transfers that should be executed to enable the region to hedge against the evolving Pacific transnational threats. Lieutenant Commander, United States Coast Guard Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

A lack of good leadership throughout the homeland security enterprise threatens organizational missions. The essence of good leadership needs to be understood if the field is to be improved. This study asked the following questions: What good leadership practices can the future generation of homeland security leaders learn from current leaders? What are the attributes of good leaders in homeland security? And how did current leaders in homeland security become good leaders? Inductive reasoning and qualitative interviews were used to reach conclusions about good leadership practices with the purpose of informing future leaders. Appreciative inquiry was the analytical framework used to facilitate discovery of good leadership practices. Seven key items emerged as a result of the research: the failure of the leadership industry and academia to adequately develop leaders; the importance of prioritizing leadership over management; the notion that leadership is not for everyone; that leadership is learned primarily through experiences; that leadership requires taking responsibility, especially for failures; that good leaders have genuine, heartfelt care for their people; and that leadership demands immense courage. It is recommended that emerging leaders self-assess whether they are willing and capable of leadership, seek leadership learning through experiences, and be courageous enough to care about their missions and, most importantly, their people. Civilian, Emergency Management Partners (EM Partners), LLC Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General found that the DHS is ineffective at executing cross-component operations. To address this deficiency, this thesis asks how can DHS special operations teams leverage collective capabilities to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and unity of effort? The thesis reviews academic literature on organizational integrating mechanisms and comparative case studies of U.S. military special operations forces, Operation Eagle Claw, the Goldwater-Nichols Act, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Joint Special Operations Task Force, and Australian Federal Police Specialist Response Group to seek solutions for the DHS. The results show that organizational design, informal networks, and routines have been successfully used by these organizations to achieve collaboration and interoperability. This thesis recommends that the DHS: 1) create a DHS Joint Special Operations Working Group for interoperability recommendations; 2) create a professional forum for DHS special operations personnel to collaborate; 3) initiate joint training programs; 4) establish liaison roles and exchange programs between Component teams; 5) create a DHS Special Operations Command (DHSSOC) as a joint force structure to coordinate and advocate for special operations; and 6) create a Joint Special Operations Directorate within DHSSOC as a standing force to develop integrated routines and equipment. Civilian, Department of Homeland Security Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.