1. This assignment will be submitted to Turnitin®.
Instructions (100% Original Work)
This assignment will not be accepted late.
The term paper consists of two parts:
Part 1 - Select a domestic or international terrorist organization
that threatens the U.S. homeland and complete a profile of that
organization. The group profile should be approximately 50
percent of the final paper and must include a discussion of the
group's ideology, targeting, tactics, capability, and overall
goals, analysis of attacks, and any statements or propaganda
released by the group. Make sure you have enough information
on the group to address all these factors and how it affects the
US homeland.
A foreign terrorist group for this project must be on the official
list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) maintained by the
U.S. Department of State. In the case of domestic terrorist
groups, there is no sanctioned list from which to choose, but the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made significant
arrests from several groups that would fit the description of a
domestic terrorist group. The FBI also names many other groups
in congressional testimony. Materials presented in the first
module, as well as recent news and congressional testimony, are
good sources of information on how to identify domestic groups
for this project.
Part 2 - Use the group profile to conduct an analysis of one or
more U.S. homeland security policies studied in module 2, to
assess the ability of the policy or policies to counter the threat
posed by the group profiled. This analysis should begin with an
introduction and explanation of the policy, followed by an
analysis addressing the breadth of the information (from part 1)
gathered on that terrorist group. The policy you analyze should
be consistent with the group; for example, if you choose a
domestic terrorist group, it would be improper to analyze the

2. Secure Border Initiative and its ability to counter a domestic
threat, because the members of the group are already within the
nation's borders. If you find the policy deficient, make specific
recommendations for policy change to counter the threat. If you
deem the policy sufficient to counter the threat, explain the
rationale for your conclusion.
To complete part 2 of the paper. Conduct the required analysis
on the USA PATRIOCT ACT security policy. See below.
The USA PATRIOT Act, which was passed by Congress and
signed into law by President Bush on October 26, 2001,
broadened the ability of law enforcement and intelligence
agencies to interdict terrorism in four ways (Congressional
Research Service [CRS], 2002). First, it applied toward the
fight against terrorism a number of investigative tools that had
previously been available to fight other forms of organized
crime. Second, the act removed many of the legal barriers that
prevented the intelligence community (IC) from sharing
information with law enforcement. Third, it updated laws to
reflect new technology and new threats. Fourth, it increased
penalties and created new offenses for terrorism-related crimes.
We will explore each of these elements to develop an
understanding of the scope of the changes effected by the
PATRIOT Act.
Many provisions of the PATRIOT Act are viewed by some as
too great an expansion of government power, which could
violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.
The following is a brief summary of the major changes provided
for in the USA PATRIOT Act, as explained by the US
Department of Justice (DOJ) in "The USA PATRIOT Act:
Preserving Life and Liberty?" (n.d.):
1. Legalized the use of a greater range of tools to fight
terrorism
· allows law enforcement to use electronic surveillance against
the full range of terrorism-related crimes
· allows federal agents to follow terrorists by using "roving
wiretaps" that can be authorized by a federal judge to apply to a

3. particular suspect, rather than just a particular phone or device
· allows law enforcement to conduct investigations without
tipping off terrorists, by delaying when the subject is told that a
search warrant was executed; this delay gives law enforcement
time to identify associates, eliminate immediate threats to our
communities, and coordinate the arrests of multiple individuals
· allows federal agents to ask a court for an order to examine
business records from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Court for activity in terrorism cases, if needed to aid a terrorism
investigation
2. Enabled information sharing
· abolished the legal barriers that previously prevented the
sharing of information between the law enforcement and
intelligence communities, allowing coordination of information
among the agencies to counter terrorism
3. Updated laws to reflect new technology
· allows warrants to be obtained in any district in where the
terrorism activity being investigated occurred, regardless of
where those warrants will be executed
· allows cyber hacking victims to give law enforcement access
to systems to investigate and prosecute hackers
4. Increased penalties and added new offenses for terrorism-
related crimes
· created a new offense that prohibits knowingly harboring
persons involved in terrorist offenses
· expanded the definitions of some conspiracy crimes and
increased the number of distinct conspiracy offenses
· increases the maximum penalties for terrorist crimes,
including conspiracy crimes
· creates specific punishments for attacks using biological
weapons and attacks on mass transit
· eliminates the statutes of limitations on some terrorist crimes,
and lengthens it on others

4. The PATRIOT Act has spurred much debate concerning the
balance between freedom and security in America. Proponents
of the act support the need for expanded law enforcement with
expanded powers to fight terrorism. Opponents cite the potential
for abuses of rights that could occur under the provisions of the
act. Opponents of the act were fueled by a DOJ Office of the
Inspector General report that found abuses of the use of
National Security Letters (USA PATRIOT Act, Section 505) to
obtain information from businesses and educational institutions
for investigations (2007). The act as originally legislated
included sunset provisions that were to expire at the end of
2005 unless expressly reauthorized. In 2006, the act was
reauthorized, making all sections of the original act permanent
except for two sections: the National Security Letters and
roving wiretap provisions were reauthorized with four-year
expirations. In 2011, these provisions were again reauthorized
for four years. The effectiveness of the PATRIOT Act and its
impact on the rights of American citizens continue as a topic of
debate.