| The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, compelled most Americans to imagine the unimaginable. Increased interest was focused on lessons learned, specifically if local law enforcement agencies had made appropriate organizational changes to be prepared to manage potential terrorism events. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of law enforcement officers in the state of Michigan regarding organizational changes within their agencies post September 11th. A total of 247 law enforcement officers from police departments, sheriff's departments, and public safety departments participated in the study by completing three instruments, the Police Unit Assessment of Terrorism (PAT) Scale, Domestic Unit Assessment of Terrorism (DAT) Scale, and a short demographic survey. The officers were drawn from across the state of Michigan and represented urban, suburban, and rural areas. The findings of the study provided evidence of differences in the items on the PAT and DAT by type of law enforcement agency and geographic area. The law enforcement officers who perceived their work load had increased since 9/11 were more likely to have more positive perceptions on both the PAT and DAT. Industrial/Organizational researchers need to focus on organizational changes in law enforcement agencies to determine if these agencies are prepared if a terrorist event should happen in their jurisdiction. |
