Law enforcement nationwide is affected by recent terror attacks in New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota. Locally educators are trying to prepare Criminal Justice students. 

Professor Richard Seniff added a Terrorism and Political Violence class to Indiana University South Bend’s Criminal Justice Curriculum four years ago. 

Seniff says the goal is to make students aware of the terrorism they will most likely work with. 

Local law enforcement agrees, terrorism in the United States has changed their jobs. 

“The last few years have taught us there is really no community that is necessarily safe from these,” says Assistant Chief Bill Thompson, St. Joseph County Police Department.

Thompson says St. Joseph County first responders run a real world drill once a year. 

After incidents like the pressure cookers and pipe bombs found in New York City and New Jersey this weekend, the department will be looking over emergency plans.
 
“Since 9-11 all local departments and our area is no exception have gone through a pretty extensive planning process in terms of what would we do if,” says Thompson.
 
September 11th is a significant day for law enforcement and terrorism in the United States. Now many of the students studying criminal justice were only toddlers in 2001.

“Students need to be aware, I guess the basis of terrorism and that’s something that we have to live with on a daily basis, it’s really changed the way that American live,” says Seniff. 
 
Seniff says the the class covers history, current events, and counter terrorism.
 
“This ties into criminal justice because for instance in the policing courses the local police are going to be the first responders,” says Seniff. 
 
Seniff says many of his students will encounter terrorism in the future and with the way things have been he has no shortage of recent events to teach from.

 “It’s something that is going to continue and something that we are going to have to learn to live with, The big advantage of teaching this course now is making students aware,” says Seniff.