Terrorism – Simpson Security and Investigative Advisory Group, LLC

February 25, 2016

Survival Mindset

“I didn’t know how to process it.”

“…everybody was running to one side of the store. Families were huddling together.”

“They were hysterical.”

On February 9, 2016, 68 year old David Brian Evans fatally shot a Harford County Sheriff’s Deputy inside a Panera Bread Company restaurant in Abingdon, Maryland. Another Sheriff’s Deputy along with the gunman were killed in a subsequent shoot-out.

The quotes above were from witnesses inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting.

During times of great stress, blood pressure can shoot from 70 beats per minute to over 200 beats per minute in less than one second. This leads to increased respiration and failure of visual, cognitive, and motor control systems. Under extreme life-threatening duress, the body prepares itself for “fight or flight” by sending blood to large muscle mass. This is good for running or charging an opponent (gross motor skills). It also results in the loss of fine and complex motor skills, cognitive reasoning, and diminished senses (tunnel vision, auditory exclusion).

Awareness and training can help overcome some of these physiological responses to danger. Active Shooter training incorporates “Run, Hide, Fight”. It is simple to remember and relies on gross motor skills. In an active shooter situation, your first priority should be to run – get out and get to a safe place. If running is not an option, then hide. As a last resort, fight.

Witness descriptions of the chaos inside that restaurant noted the fact the people could not process what was happening and worst of all, people instinctively huddled together in a corner.

It is an unfortunate fact of today’s world that you must continually be aware of your surroundings and know what is going on around you. There are four steps, known as the OODA Loop, that will increase your chances of surviving a life threatening event. The faster you complete these steps, the greater your chance of survival:

Observe: See what is happening and know what is going on around you.
Orientate: Filter that observation and recognize the threat.
Decide: Decide on a course of action.
Act: Act on that decision.

March 12, 2014

Importance of Evidence, by Dennis Simpson

Among the recent news about the war in Afghanistan is one making the talk show circuit about Afghanistan getting ready to release 65 high level terrorists. Earlier this year, the U. S. turned over control of the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP) to the Afghans. This was our primary holding center for captured combatants. I had a sorry sense of déjà vu upon hearing this. I was in Afghanistan in 2012 when I received news that the Iraqis were releasing Ali Musa Daqduq. Daqduq was one of the most dangerous and ruthless terrorist captured in Iraq. He was a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for countless U.S. deaths. In January of 2007, Daqduq was responsible for the kidnapping of five U. S. soldiers during a raid on the Karbla Joint Provincial Coordination Center. Those five U. S. soldiers were summarily executed by Daqduq and his gang. The recovered bodies showed signs of severe torture before execution.

I was in Iraq assisting the military in the prosecution of captured terrorists in 2011. During that time, the U.S. turned over all of Camp Cropper to the Iraqis. Camp Cropper at one time was the primary detention facility in Iraq. In keeping with the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Camp Cropper, and its prisoners were turned over to the Iraqis in phases. By 2011, the U. S. only controlled a small portion of that prison that housed the most dangerous terrorists, Daqduq included. These were the baddest of the bad, and ones that the U.S. held on to until the last possible moment. The problem? We needed evidence to give to the Iraqis so the Iraqis could justify holding them and subsequently prosecuting them through their legal system.

Many of these bad guys had been captured on the battlefield years earlier. Soldiers and Marines were not concerned at that time with preserving “evidence” that would hold up in a civilian court at a later date. In addition, a lot of the evidence against these terrorists was classified and not releasable to a foreign nation.

Needless to say, the prisoners were turned over to the Iraqis with what little evidence we had. Most were subsequently released. Corruption, politics, and religious affiliations certainly played a starring role in Iraq and Afghanistan. Putting the politics of Iraq and Afghanistan aside, it is evidence that will hold up in a court of law that is necessary to obtain a conviction and a sentence. Merely saying that a person is “bad” without evidence to back it up will not hold in any legitimate court.

The same is true in the United States. Any law enforcement officer or agent can make an arrest. That is the easy part. It is the evidence gathered by that officer and the investigators that enables a conviction and withstands the scrutiny of a judge, jury, and a good defense attorney. Credible evidence, proper documentation, accurate report writing, and clear and truthful testimony are keys to obtaining a conviction. Sloppy or lazy investigative work, taking shortcuts, and questionable statements or testimony on behalf of the prosecution team will almost certainly lead to an acquittal. Same is true on the other side of the coin – sloppy or half-hearted work on the part of a defense team can lead to the conviction of an innocent party. We are extremely fortunate that in the United States, our rights as citizens to a fair trial is guaranteed by the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution, otherwise known as the “Bill of Rights”.

December 27, 2013December 27, 2013

No Clear Profile for Homegrown Terrorist

Retired FBI special agent Jeff Lanza says that improved surveillance and cooperation techniques help law enforcement prevent terrorist attacks, but homegrown terrorists continue to threaten U.S. security. But Lanza says there is no consistent profile to help agents detect homegrown terrorists, especially those who are self-radicalized. “Sometimes their motives are separate and distinct,” Lanza observes. “If there is a common thread, they are unhappy with their lives. They want to express their unhappiness against someone and ignite some sort of revenge.” Of the 71 terrorist plots detected since 9/11, seven involved self-radicalized or “lone wolf” terrorists. However, some experts say the “lone wolf” is a misnomer because even self-radicalized extremists are motivated by existing militant groups and do reach out to terrorists via online forums. “This idea that these people all across America are acting alone fundamentally misunderstands the terrorist threat,” argues U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.). Lanza agrees. “If I’m a homegrown terrorist and decide to take out some revenge on the United States, it’s much easier to do that today under the radar than prior to the Internet and social media sites, he says.”