Report to the Chairman , Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights , Committee on the Judiciary , House of Representatives June 1988 DOMESTIC TERRORISM Prevention Efforts in Selected Federal Courts and Mass Transit Systems

report describes antiterrorism practices undertaken in two components of the nation's infrastructure-federal court facilities and mass transit systems. We present information on the current roles and responsibilities for antiterrorism policies; managers' perceptions of domestic terrorism threats; existing risk-assessment activities to identify threats and the criticality and vulnerability of assets: factors considered in selecting risk-reduction strategies, including the preservation of civil liberties; implemented strategies; and evaluation of the performance, effectiveness. and intrusiveness of preventive measures. Copies of this report will be sent to the attorney general; the secretary of the Department of Transportation; the directors of the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Administrative Office of the United States Court: the administrator of the General Services Administration: as well as to other persons who request copies. Executive Summ~-Purpose Terrorist acts in the L-nited States have thus far been too few to raise serious public concern, but the nation faces the dilemma of maintaining an effective level of protection without curtailing civil liberties. Concerned that security measures imposed without thorough study and planning may lead to measures that could be unintentionally repressive of civil liberties, the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Committee on the Judiciary asked GAO to describe what was being done to protect against terrorism in two selected domestic infrastructure components-the federal courts and mass transit systems. GAO'S study framework consisted of six elements: the roles and responsibilities of units and individuals involved; their perceptions of terrorism threats; the existence and quality of risk assessments; risk-reduction selection factors such as concern for civil liberties; implemented risk-reduction strategies; and evaluations of performance, effectiveness, and intrusiveness. Since GAO sampled only seven sites, used a case-study design. and focused on protective measures, the findings cannot be generalized to all federal courts or mass transit systems or to the totality of U.S. antiterrorism activities. (See pp. 17-23.) Background Terrorism is the threat or the use of violence to frighten people and governments into some ulterior political act. Targets include individuals. symbolic structures, political events. and various components of the nation's infrastructure, such as transportation systems, government buildings, and energy facilities. A planned antiterrorism approach could help prevent incidents or reduce losses, while ensuring the preservation of civil liberties. However, little is known about the antiterrorism planning and organizational responses of most U.S. organizations. (See pp. lo-li.) Results in Brief Court officials indicated heightened awareness of …