Law enforcement needs guidance to root out terrorist plots, says report.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT

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Good old fashioned police work has been far more effective in thwarting terrorist plots than high-tech data mining schemes, said a recent report from the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions.

Law enforcement agencies need to improve the way they identify, analyze and deal with possible terrorist activities. One solution that emerged in the years after the 9/11 attacks was data mining--automated technology that uses algorithms to sort through large data banks and flag suspicious behavior patterns.

However, the wide assortment of data collected in these data banks--ranging from credit card transactions to travel information--quickly raised privacy concerns. "Civil liberty advocates were alarmed ... these methods represented a dramatic escalation of government intrusion into the lives of U.S. citizens," said the report.

Also, the algorithms often drew faulty conclusions, leading to dead-end investigations and a waste of resources.

The report recognized the limitations of technology and noted, "Technology itself cannot stop a terrorist attack." However, "it can play a key role in managing data efficiently."

Where technology fails, law enforcement officials must step up. Police at the state and local levels can be effective in rooting out terrorist plots. The primary challenge they face is finding the initial clues of...