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What is Terrorism?
Terrorism is violence, or the threat of violence, calculated to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm. These acts are designed to coerce others into actions they would not otherwise undertake, or refrain from actions they desired to take. All acts of terrorism are crimes. Many would also be a violation of the rules of war if a state of war existed. This violence or threat of violence is generally directed against civilian targets. The motives of all terrorists are political, and terrorist actions are generally carried out in a way that will achieve maximum publicity. Unlike other criminal acts, terrorist often claim responsbility for their acts. Finally, terrorist acts are intended to produce effects beyond the immediate, having long-term psychological repercussions
on a particular victim audience. The fear created by terrorists may be intended to cause people to exaggerate the strengths of the terrorist and the importance of the cause, to provoke governmental overreaction, to discourage dissent, or simply to intimidate and thereby enforce compliance with their demands.
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MIPT - Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism is a non-partisan, non-profit 501c3 Corporation.
The MIPT believes that superior knowledge is the key to preventing terrorism. To that end, MIPT operates a training and education center informing the response comunity, academics and the public about terrorism.
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Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security
The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security is not intended to be an additional layer of bureaucratic red tape within state government. The focus of the office is singular by design - terrorism by means of a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) or Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRNE) device. There are other state agencies with staff that are qualified and trained in their specific area whether it is agriculture, natural disasters or public health. OKOHS functions as a coordinating entity between those agencies to avoid duplication of efforts and conserve limited state and federal resources.