Domestic Terrorism or Vandalism?

Domestic Terrorism or an act of Vandalism?

The gun attack that crippled two power substations and knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of utility customers in Moore County, North Carolina, is being investigated as a criminal act and law enforcement, including the FBI, are working around the clock to identify suspects and determine a motive behind the sabotage.

Could this act of sabotage be considered domestic terrorism??Well, that depends on the definition of domestic terrorism and the motives of the saboteurs.?Let’s look at two definitions of domestic terrorism and determine if there is a match:

Definition of Domestic Terrorism

Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature. (https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism)

And under the Patriot Act, Domestic Terrorism is defined as:

The Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as an attempt to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping." (https://www.npr.org/2017/10/02/555170250/what-is-and-isnt-considered-domestic-terrorism)

The deliberate shooting of the electrical substations in Moore County, NC may be classified as domestic terrorism based on the nature of the act, as it was perpetrated against infrastructure resulting in a nearly 4-day loss of power to 45,000 customers, most of the residents of Moore County, NC.?This act could also be a simple act of vandalism.?The potential for this act to have been perpetrated by one or more people influenced by bad television…seeing oversized explosions with the hero walking away from the explosion, or simply some simpletons being mischievous and not intending to cause such far-reaching damage, is possible.?

What determines if this act is classified as an act of domestic terrorism or s crime of vandalism??Motives.?The motives behind the act will determine whether this is classified as a basic crime, or a crime of domestic terrorism.?In the definition above, it states “…committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals…” and “intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government…”?Whether or not these acts were done to further an ideology, influence policy, or to intimidate remains to be seen.?In many situations, if a group desires a response from the government, they claim responsibility for the attack and publish their demands.?Otherwise, the attack seems senseless or pointless.?To date, no group or person has claimed responsibility for the attack on the substations, and there hasn’t been any demands set forth warning of future attacks if the demands are not met.?Perhaps this will happen in the future, but at this point the attacks seem like they are a senseless act of vandalism.?Until a motive is determined, this crime can only be classified as an act of vandalism with far-reaching consequences.?

Authorities, including the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the FBI, and the Moore County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the act, and are currently pursuing warrants to search various homes of potential suspects in the attack. ?As this case unfolds and suspects are identified and the perpetrators are ultimately discovered, their motives behind the attack on the substation will determine, to a great extent, how they will be prosecuted.

This leads us to the question of;?What can City or County Governments do to detect, deter, and defend against acts on not only the power grid, but all types of vulnerable sites such as schools, infrastructure, public gatherings, and government buildings??There are ‘best practices’ and certain steps city’s and county governments can take to diminish vulnerabilities and increase public safety and awareness.??

Step 1.?Understand and share information

·????????Create an information gathering and sharing process that incorporates the local municipalities with state and federal law enforcement and intelligence assets.?Included on these panels should be:

o??Law Enforcement Agency Representatives

o??Emergency Services Representatives

o??School representatives

o??Mental Health representatives

o??Infrastructure representatives

o??Emergency Service

o??And any critical node located within the geographical area in question, such as nuclear facilities, military bases, laboratories, etc..

Step 2.?Efforts to prevent recruitment, incitement, and mobilization of Americans to violence

·????????Strengthen prevention resources and services.

·????????Address and Reduce supply of recruitment materials online and in print form.

·????????Educate the public through programs designed to dispel misinformation and propagate truth.

·????????Increase resilience through education programs in school and at the workplace.

·????????Prosecute those convicted of domestic terrorism to dissuade future actors.

Step 3.?Efforts to detect, deter, and disrupt domestic terrorist activity before it yields violence

·????????Conduct investigations and prosecutions where the law and the facts make those steps appropriate

·????????Ensure screening and vetting processes are in place where appropriate.

·????????Monitor at-risk persons through their online social media accounts (open source)

·????????Initiate programs to "harden” infrastructure and sites that are vulnerable to make them less attractive to potential attackers.?(Large gatherings such as sporting events, parades, demonstrations, etc.?school buildings, government buildings, airports, etc.)

·????????Create a reporting protocol incorporating the key agencies with a well-established reporting system to get the information to the correct authorities with the ability to act.

·????????Realize that it is municipal, county, and state authorities who are the first line of defense against domestic terrorism and there must be a functional plan in place to deal with potential incidents or actors before they commit violence.

4.?Address the long-term issues that contribute to domestic terrorism

·????????Address Racism

·????????Address mental health issues

·????????Foster programs that invest in civic engagement.

·????????Balancing Human Rights and Constitutional Freedoms with Public Safety and security concerns.

·????????Address extreme polarization whether racial, religious, political, immigration, abortion or other controversial topic.

Hope is not a strategy.?Domestic terrorism will not fade away just because we hope it will.?Concrete action, concerted effort, and deliberate strategy must be employed to ensure our Constitutional Republic remains strong for generations to come, our communities remain safe places to live, and our children grow into adulthood knowing the greatness of America as we did.??