Preventing Terrorism Part of Ex-Police Chief's Focus

Tom Bauer was the chief on Sept. 11, 2001, when suddenly, the profession of law enforcement changed forever.

No longer was the bulk of police work taking reports and investigating crime. Certainly, an element of crime prevention had always been part of law enforcement, but after 9/11 it received a new-found emphasis.

That new direction led Bauer to (on his own time) get his master's degree in security studies through the Naval Academy's post-graduate school.

Now, in his new role as emergency operations program manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the idea of looking into the future to try and prevent terrible things from happening is front and center on Bauer's mind.

It’s called "horizon scanning," and it goes something like this: law enforcement officials are always trying to connect the dots to prevent crime. Horizon scanning is trying to determine what those "dots" might be in the future.

"It's trying to stay one step ahead of those who would do us harm," Bauer said. He added that the focus is not just on terrorist attacks or other man-made events, but natural disasters as well. 

The concept of a "post 9/11 world" has become something of a cliché. But in many respects it's true – things really are different than they were on Sept. 10, 2001.

"Much like after Pearl Harbor, the world changed forever," Bauer said. "I'm not saying anything that hasn't been stated hundreds of times, but the world changed for everyone in America. Permanently changed."

And that necessitates the need for horizon scanning – being vigilant and taking potentially suspicious behavior more seriously, Bauer said. It's not just for police either – the country needs help from all of its citizens to ensure safety.

Of course, a balance between paranoia and vigilance. Practicing horizon scanning also involves doing it wisely and not impacting a person’s quality of life, Bauer said.

"We can't put a fence around a fence around a fence," Bauer said. "We need to live our lives without putting all of our energy into stopping the boogeyman."

But still, this generation needs to do whatever possible "to stabilize our world and keep it in the position to hand off to our kids as safe as possible."

"Personally, (9/11) scared me," he said. "It tugged at my heart because I thought, 'What does the future hold for my children and my children’s children?'"