Homeland Security Unit
The BCPO Homeland Security Unit is a sub-section of the Major Crimes Unit – Violent Crimes Section. The role of the Homeland Security Unit is to deter, detect and prevent acts of terrorism. There is one detective sergeant, one detective and an analyst assigned to the Homeland Security Unit The detective sergeant serves as the Burlington County Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. Major Crimes Unit detectives provide investigative support to the Homeland Security Unit, when necessary.
The Burlington County Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (CCTC) is tasked with the duties of investigating suspected acts of terrorism and collecting and disseminating counter-terrorism related intelligence to the municipal police departments, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (OHSP) and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The CCTC works closely with OHSP, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Burlington County Office of Emergency Management and other state and county organizations to share information and provide training to municipal police agencies and private security forces to better protect critical infrastructure and key assets throughout Burlington County.
Other duties of the CCTC include the identification and evaluation of critical infrastructures and key assets within Burlington County, and maintaining data on these sites and their appropriate points of contact. This data is entered into state databases through OHSP. In conjunction with OHSP and New Jersey State Police, the CCTC is tasked with assessing the identified critical infrastructures and key assets that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The CCTC also makes recommendations to harden these critical sites against any terrorist activity.