Premium Essay

Patriot Act Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 1336
Pages 6
In the morning of September 11, 2001 America was subject to the worst terrorist attack in history when two planes hijacked by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda hit the twin towers. It was a day that marked and shaped all of America. Many of the people stuck in the upper part of the tower were forced to jump and in the end the terrorist attack caused nearly three thousand deaths. That morning America was unprepared for such an attack and so it established and formed agencies and laws so that nothing like that would happen in the future. In the process America was changed forever and many questioned the changes and policies put in as a result of 9/11. Since 9/11, Law enforcement and transportation laws have become much more effective and laws …show more content…
The main purpose of the U.S.A Patriot Act is to punish terrorist acts in the U.S by basically strengthening law enforcement and investigation techniques. The overall purpose of the U.S.A Patriot Act is to “… [Enhance] domestic security against terrorism; enhancing surveillance procedures; abating money laundering; protecting the borders; removing obstacles to investigating terrorism; providing for victims of terrorism, public safety officers, and their families; increasing information sharing; strengthening the criminal laws against terrorism; improving intelligence; and miscellaneous provisions” (Phelps & Lehman, 2004). As can be imagined this has also caused some issues among the public, one of which includes wiretapping. Under the U.S.A Patriot Act federal officials are allowed to wiretap any telephone of a potential suspect. Libraries can also be forced to give up any records of persons including the searches on the internet done by an individual. Another issue is the detainment of Middle Eastern immigrants and the surveillance of their communities. It is laws and actions such as these that have aroused the public to question the power of the government to prevent terrorism. It has caused the American public to really question whether the initiatives set up after 9/11 are constitutional or good for the …show more content…
One such improvement is in the air transportation system. Before 9/11 there were around 16,000 poorly trained private screeners for air ports. After 9/11 this number was bumped to 46,000 highly trained screeners. This is not to mention the new technology put in place to make air travel safer. Now instead of checking for cargo individually they are traced with highly expensive technology that uses radiation. Containers that have a high threat matrix are screened even more thoroughly. Air safety was also significantly enhanced when a low 33 federal air marshals was bumped to an estimate of 5,000 marshals. Shortly after the attack anthrax was used as a possible terrorist attack. It killed 5 people and put 17 in the hospitable. Because of 9/11 and this incident the U.S has set up federal agencies to prevent a biological attack. The steps in preventing such a disaster have cost billions in the process. America has overall become much safer and the foiled plots of 39 terrorist are a proof to this. In 2011 The Heritage Foundation posted an article that examined 39 foiled terrorist attacks. One that was the most recent since the posting occurred in New York when two men attempted to attack a synagogue. Both men attempted to buy a hand grenade and large weapons. As a part of their plan they also targeted the Empire State Building as

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Patriot Act Research Paper

...It is argued that the government’s unlawful actions are justified by the Patriot Act, but they are not. Title II of the act is Enhanced Surveillance Procedures. It grants increased surveillance powers to select government agencies. Section 201 of Title II is titled Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications relating to terrorism. This is the section allows government to tap into personal information. However the phrase “relating to terrorism” declares only suspected terrorists can be monitored. Section 213 states that warrants must be issued in order to intercept non-terrorist forms of communication. When Snowden was asked about search warrants he said “the reality is that Americans' communications are collected and viewed...

Words: 273 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Patriot Act Research Paper

...of New York. A seriously stunned country shocked by the level of brutality quickly assembled behind President Bush to pass legislation, known as the USA PATRIOT ACT, to tackle internal and external threats to this nation. Because this new legislation was passed into law with extreme haste, it was controversial immediately. Even though this legislation was passed...

Words: 1763 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Government 305

...UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 2305 RESEARCH PAPER Spring 2012 1) The purpose of this paper is to assess the leading issues in the continuing debate over the Patriot Act 1, Patriot Act 2 and Patriot Act 3 and its alleged abuse of our bill of rights by comparing and contrasting the positions between the Government need for them and the people’s rights, freedoms and liberties. By offering this assessment, you will learn a lot about what policy making was going on to achieve this type of law. 2) What are the arguments surrounding the use of these extreme policies in the U.S. or are they not extreme? And 3) What are the implications that these policies having or are not having on the lives of Americans? Furthermore, the purpose here is to enhance your researching, writing, and analytical skills. 4) Compare and contrast the leading issues in the current controversial USA Patriot Act (1,2 and 3) situation. Your paper should compare and contrast the leading issues in the current controversial USA Patriot Act situation and how it affects your bill of rights. This assessment should explain the similarities and or differences between the rights of the citizens of the United States, the U.S. Government and the State positions. In addition, you should acknowledge the entities (i.e. U.S. citizens, government civil servants, interest groups, corporate interests…) that are endorsing the controversial USA Patriot Act and how this endorsement correlates, complements or conflicts...

Words: 488 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The United States Constitution vs the Patriot Act

...The Patriot Act Vs The United States Constitution Khadija Nurul Hasan Chaffey College The Patriot Act Vs The United States Constitution             The “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” Act, or Patriot Act was passed on October 24th, 2001 with almost all legislators in favor of it. The terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, sparked a nationwide desire for heightened security and increased abilities for law-enforcement agencies to track and stop terrorists. Thus, the Patriot Act was created in response, and passed with the aim of battling terrorism. However there are always two sides to any passing of a political law: those who support it and those who oppose it. Those who support the Patriot Act have consistently countered that the provisions of the Act are necessary to protect the people from future terrorist attacks, and that the law does an adequate job of protecting individual civil liberties; while those who oppose it argue that the Act is an egregious assault on individual liberties as it violates their constitutional rights. The hypothesis of this paper is to dissect and analyze Sections of the Patriot Act to see if they are in violation of the United States Constitution.  Specifically the paper will analyze Sections 505, 215 of the Patriot Act to see if they violate the Constitution. The first violation in question comes from Section 505 of...

Words: 1895 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Patriot Act and Its Effect on Corporations

...The Patriot Act and its Effect on Corporations SECR 5080 – Term Paper 9 May 2015 Table of Contents Abstract – page 3 Introduction – page 3 Current State of Affairs as by the law – page 5 Impact on computing – page 6 Surveillance on Businesses – page 9 Penalty on non-compliance – page 10 Internet Service Providers – page 10 Conclusion – page 12 References – page 13 Abstract The Patriot Act was written into law just a mere 45 days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The Patriot Act was intended to counter terrorism by providing law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies with an easier means to target those connected to terrorism. The Patriot Act has had a great impact on corporations, how they are surveilled and monitored, and huge penalties on noncompliance of the Patriot Act. This paper will further discuss the Patriot Act and its effects on Corporations. Introduction The terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 shook the foundation of the faith that America had in her security. This prompted congressional action on counteractive action to avoid a repeat occurrence of the terrorist attack on US soil. Measures that were taken included the passage of a Congressional Act referred to as the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, hereby referred to as the Patriot Act. The passing of the Patriot Act was...

Words: 3253 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Effects of Usa Patriot Act on Banking Privacy

...Effects of USA PATRIOT Act on Banking Privacy Introduction On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by the terrorists and the attack has completely changed the way we live and work. Its impact is so immense that it covers almost every aspect of our life including the privacy protection policy in the banking industry. After the September 11 terrorist attack, the U.S. Congress passed a law, the USA PATRIOT Act that makes it easier for government law enforcement and intelligence agencies to gather and share information related to terror-related investigations and it has changed how the banking industry or financial institutions handle the privacy of their customers’ personal information. The purpose of this research paper is to explore the effects of the USA PATRIOT Act on banking industry’s handling customers’ private personal information. Some Background Information and History of Banking Privacy The USA PATRIOT Act is not an official title of the law. It is the acronym of the very long title of the Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. But, before 2001, do we have any law that provides guidelines for the privacy of banking industry in the United States of America? Surely, there are several laws that are related to the financial institutions and the privacy protection policy...

Words: 3707 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Civil Rights or National Security

...Where is the balance between civil rights and national security? While the Patriot Act allows the US government the ability to monitor terrorists, drug cartels, and attacks on US soil, this law should not give government agencies the right to invade US citizens’ privacy. Did this law that was passed, soon after the 9/11 attacks, go too far in the name of national security? Are the seizures, wiretaps, and physical searches that are required to have probable cause sometimes overlooked? In several cases, outlined in this essay, our government has performed unpatriotic acts in the name of “national security” and has repeatedly challenged the very foundation of our constitutional freedoms. Fundamentalist groups and terrorists within them have been around for decades. Our government has the ability to monitor them, both here and abroad, and determine if there will be another threat against our Nation. Where is the balance between civil rights and national security? On October 26, 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law the Patriot Act with an overwhelming majority from Congress. The law was intended, in Bush’s words, to “enhance the penalties that will fall on terrorists or anyone who helps them.”  ("George W. Bush Signs The Patriot Act", n.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-w-bush-signs-the-patriot-act). The bill broadly expanded law enforcements ability to investigate and perform surveillance and altered more than 15 different statues that had...

Words: 1375 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Dangers of the Patriot Act-Final

...Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, or USA Patriot Act was established on 26 October 2001 “just forty-five days after it was introduced” (Alex, Carrington, & Ward, 2008). The aggressive security measures combined with “the vague nature of the wording and the broad exception clauses” has steadily kept the light on the Patriot Act (Theissen, 2012). The Patriot Act was supposed to protect and builder a stronger defense against terrorism, to prevent future attracts on U.S soil. Instead it allowed law enforcement to violate the people’s civil right to privacy. It is an “example of a good idea gone too far [and] how the Patriot Act has been used in an effort to expand government powers in areas having nothing to do with terrorism” (Dempsey, 2012). Debatably, the amendment is written for open interpretation for law enforcement to use as they see fit. This is seen when “from 2006-2009, [Section] 213 was abused 1,740 times granting sneak and peak search warrants involving drugs [and] or fraud, … only 0.8% sneak and peak warrants were used in the suspicion of terrorism” (Timm, 2011). This is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment which states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…” (Legal dictionary, 2012). Sixteen sections in the Patriot Act have what is called a Sunset Provision, meaning “a...

Words: 1286 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Assignment 2 Leg500

...The Value of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age List and describe at least three technologies that allow an individual to research citizen’s private data. Personal information is collected from a multitude of public and private databases. Among the public collection of databases the following can be found on nearly any U.S. citizen who has included themselves in any of the following: birth, marriage, or death certificates; public court filings, arrest records, and property tax rolls; state issued licenses such as drivers and/or professional licenses. Facebook, Spokeo, and CensusLink are among the many private sector databases of collected information on U.S. citizens. Those whom have had their privacy breeched in most cases freely provided the information and signed or initialed a waiver, which they probably failed to read. Chances are that until a problem becomes evident one will not realize the true consequences of their disclosure of said information. Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the myriad of clones which have popped into existence in the last decade are some of the largest purveyors of information about individuals. Facebook is the largest social network service provider in the U.S. Research shows the following facets of Facebook; there are more than 350 million active users; more than 35 million users update their statuses at least once a day; more than 2.5 billion photos are uploaded to the site monthly; they...

Words: 2030 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

By Leaps and Bounds

...information at the stroke of your fingertips is a gift to people. We are able to research on the go, carry multiple books to read in the palm of your hand, and even be able to navigate digitally rather than carry a paper map. There are so many benefits to technology and the advances quickly achieve, in a matter of months! However, like many things in life a good thing can be bad in the wrong hands. As much good technology provides society with by having information in a flash at their fingertips there is the ominous cloud of this same technology gathering information and using it to hurt others. Sharing information has now become dangerous and society must adapt to the ever-changing world of technology and protect them. One of the major changes seen in government was the adoption of the Patriot Act of 2001. This act pertains to the government being able to access personal information and share it under the covering of protection and security. The Department of Justice states, “The Department of Justice’s first priority is to prevent future terrorist attacks. Since its passage following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Patriot Act has played a key part and often the leading role- in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from the deadly plans of terrorists dedicated to destroying America and our way of life. While the results have been important, in passing the Patriot Act, Congress provided for only modest, incremental changes in the law. Congress simply...

Words: 1016 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Patriot Act

...The Patriot act was created due to a world crisis that happened in September 11, 2001 when terrorist invaded the United States of America and hijacked a couple of planes for the purpose to crash them in important places where they would get as many people as possible. One being the Twin towers or also known as the World Trade Center and also the pentagon which was not achieved due that some heroic civilians in the plane that decided to fight for their lives and the lives of others. Four passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists so they could be flown into buildings in suicide attacks. Two of those planes,American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center Complex in New York City. Within two hours, both towers collapsed with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the WTC complex, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon leading to a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at Washington, D.C. but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total, almost 3,000 people died in the attacks, including the 227 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes. It also was the deadliest incident for...

Words: 2859 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Cja 314 Week 5 Learning Team Criminology in the Future Paper and Presentation

...Team Criminology in the Future Paper and Presentation To Buy This material Click below link http://www.uoptutors.com/CJA-314/CJA-314-Week-5-Learning-Team-Criminology-in-the-Future-Paper-and-Presentation Resource: Victims’ compensation websites in your state and the National Center for Victims of Crime website (http://www.ncvc.org) Resource:  Criminology in the 21st Century located on the student website: ·         Criminology Interviews: Director and Chief of Victimization Stats ·         Terrorism: A Study in Public Safety Resource: Films on Demand videos located in this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings: ·         “Sleeper Cell Networks” ·         “Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveillance” ·         “What is Biometrics?” Resource:  research the following ·         U.S. Patriot Act ·         The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 ·         Homeland Security Act of 2002 Write a 2,100- to 2,400-word paper addressing the following: ·         Future directions of crime fighting and it’s role in social policy implication ·         The potential for specific crime-fighting methodologies, such as using biometrics, implementing cybercrime spyware, or mandating DNA collection programs ·         Evolving law enforcement and forensic technologies used to detect criminal activities ·         Possible civil liberty or ethical violations as they relate to the evolving technologies you included in the paper Discuss how the evolution of...

Words: 281 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Week 5 Outline

...Learning Team Criminology in the Future Paper and Presentation DUE: 3/24/14 Resource: Victims’ compensation websites in your state and the National Center for Victims of Crime website (http://www.ncvc.org) Resource: Criminology in the 21st Century located on the student website: Criminology Interviews: Director and Chief of Victimization Stats Terrorism: A Study in Public Safety Resource: Films on Demand videos located in this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings: “Sleeper Cell Networks” “Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveillance” “What is Biometrics?” Resource: research the following U.S. Patriot Act The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 Homeland Security Act of 2002 Write a 2,100- to 2,400-word paper addressing the following: Ninette (525 word min) + 3 slides to accompany the paper: Future directions of crime fighting and its role in social policy implication David (525 word min) + 3 slides to accompany the paper: The potential for specific crime-fighting methodologies, such as using biometrics, implementing cybercrime spyware, or mandating DNA collection programs Jasmine: (525 word min) + 3 slides to accompany the paper: Evolving law enforcement and forensic technologies used to detect criminal activities. Lorena (525 word min) + 3 slides to accompany the paper: Possible civil liberty or ethical violations as they relate to the evolving technologies you included in the paper Everyone: Discuss how the evolution...

Words: 370 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Terrorism

...Terrorism and Homeland Security: The Impacts on Preventative Measures Abstract This paper explores four different topics on homeland security and anti-terrorism policies. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security or (HDS). What policies had to be implemented and what did the creation of a new agency affected or benefit. The impact that international terrorism has caused the United States of America and how this policies and changes help build a stronger defense against them. The implementation of local enforcement agencies and the community in the fight to deter terrorist attacks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or (FEMA) and how organizational bureaucracy hindered cooperation and communication among local and federal agencies. This paper will address what measures have been and can be taken in the future to improve inter-agency cooperation and communication. Table of Content Terrorism and Homeland Security: The Impacts on Preventative Measures Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..4 Terrorism and the creation of the DHS………................................................................................4 USA PATRIOT ACT……………………………………………………………………………...5 Appropriate roles of agencies and community………………………………………………….5-6 Preventative plans…………………………………………………………………………………6 Community Emergency Response………………………………………………………………...6 FEMA……………………………………………………………………………………………..7 National Response Plan…………………………………………………………………………...

Words: 2744 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

...Abstract The primary mission of the Homeland Security Act is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism, and minimize damage and assist in recovery for terrorist attacks that occur in the United States. The U.S Department of Homeland Security was established after the 9/11 attacks to counter terrorist activities against the United States. Homeland security is officially defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur”. The major objective of the Patriot Act is “to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools" by dramatically reducing restrictions pertaining to law enforcement requests to search telephone records, e-mail communication, and health records. The Patriot Act allows for the emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect life and broadens the definition of terrorism to include acts of domestic terrorism. Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Patriot Act allows the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the director to apply for an order requiring the "production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect...

Words: 3497 - Pages: 14