Terrorism ideology and perceptions of homeland security in Tennessee law enforcement

Homeland security is a concept that has become firmly embedded in American society since the events of September 11, 2001. While recent research has begun to study the implications of homeland security in state and local law enforcement, few have focused on perceptions of homeland security ideology, policy, and practice. Therefore, this study focuses on the impact that homeland security ideology, policy, and practice has had on the local law enforcement community by examining the varying levels of individual understanding, agreement, and support for the concept. Moderate levels of agreement were found regarding homeland security clarity at federal, state, and local levels of law enforcement. Variables measuring perceptions of consistency and departmental involvement in implementing homeland security strategies, post 9/11 funding, homeland security training, and number of agency collaborations and training activities were found to be the best predictors of perceived clarity. No demographic variables had a significant impact on perceptions of homeland security clarity.