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Roanoke Police Department
Homeland Defense Initiative
The terrorists attacks on September 11, 2001 forced law enforcement agencies everywhere to evaluate their terrorism response plans. In January 2002 the Roanoke Police Department launched its Homeland Defense Initiative. A training school titled “Train the Trainer” was created to prepare officers for possible terrorist attacks. In February 2002 the department opened its training to agencies within the region, as well as from other states.
The 40-hour school is designed to teach officers to identify potential targets of terrorism, and implement a plan of action to protect citizens and property. Topics taught include command and control, sniper situations, site assessment, terrain analysis, the evacuation process, hostage situations, bomb threats and detonation, nuclear threats, chemical threats, biological threats, establishing perimeters, and crowd control. Practical instruction is conducted to re-enforce classroom lectures.
As a result of the Homeland Defense Initiative, several major corporations in the Roanoke Valley have formed active partnerships with the Roanoke Police Department, offering their assistance during emergencies. Some of these partners include Carilion Health Systems, Inc., ITT Night Vision, Allstate Insurance, U.S. Cellular, and Computer Science Corporation. Individual citizens have also volunteered their skills and resources to be utilized during emergencies. Amateur radio operators, heavy equipment operators and bilingual citizens have added their names to a central data base that is readily accessible by various law enforcement agencies.
The Roanoke Homeland Defense Training School has been recognized on both state and national levels. Roanoke Police Officers have conducted presentations explaining the program at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and the Virginia Crime Prevention Conference. Officers have also been invited to speak at the National Commission On Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) Training Conference.
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