In this text, author Charles P. Nemeth seeks to educate readers about the numerous agencies and dedicated personnel responsible for the homeland security mission. He presents this complex, heavily bureaucratic, and continuously evolving world in a clear and concise manner.

 

Nemeth begins the text with a historical perspective on the security threats facing America, up to and including the 9-11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. From there, the reader is led chronologically through the establishment and evolution of the present-day U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Later chapters address the central elements of the homeland security mission, such as the law, risk analysis, counterterrorism, emergency management, public health, and training and exercises.

 

Nemeth, a veteran criminal justice professor, employs a textbook-style format with copy that is easy to read and understand. Each of the book’s 12 chapters can be viewed as a lesson of its own. Each begins with a list of learning objectives and wraps up with a conclusion section and a list of keywords. The author then presents the discussion questions and practical exercises to stimulate further understanding of the subject matter. Throughout, Internet exercises allow the reader to explore the subject deeper, depending on his or her own level of interest and understanding.

 

An instructor’s manual with exam questions, lesson plans, and chapter Microsoft PowerPoint slides are available from the publisher for course adoption.

 

The text is a complete study, and one that would benefit both students and security professionals who seek a broad understanding of how the country’s new and evolving homeland security mission is executed.

 

Reviewer: Frederick D. “Rick” Arons, CPP, CRT (Certified in the Reid Technique), is president and CEO of American Eagle Investigations in Eagle, Idaho, and a security consultant specializing in corporate security investigations and threat analysis. He is a former member of the U.S Army Special Forces, an expert in insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare, and a member of ASIS International.