Regional mutual aid: An implementation strategy for the times?

摘要

Since September 11, 2001, the concept of homeland security has been continually growing. Homeland security is an issue that involves many facets. This thesis will study one of the key aspects within the concept of homeland security, namely regional mutual aid. Regional mutual aid involves the principle of the banding together of similar and dissimilar jurisdictions to provide public safety in the event of an emergency. To further examine the different types of mutual aid agreements, comparative case studies were conducted. These cases will illuminate what mutual aid agreements are, who is involved and what an agreement should look like.;This thesis presents three different regional mutual aid plans, comparing and contrasting their content, participants and form. Specifically, the goal of this research is to provide meaningful information so that interested jurisdictions could create their own mutual aid agreements. These jurisdictions would be able to read this thesis and get a sense of why and how mutual aid agreements were created as well as the types of participants involved. The intent of this thesis, thus, is to assist jurisdictions in creating their own mutual aid agreements by providing them with guidance and directions on how to do so.;The three different examples used in the case studies are King County, Washington, the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, and the San Antonio Region of Texas. Each of their agreements consisted of mostly similar sections. Each one started off with a purpose defining why the agreement existed and how it came into existence. While the order of the other remaining sections varied, their contents were fairly similar.;Yet, in closely examining the three case studies, there were some significant differences. The King County plan had the most sections. Among its unique content, there was a section explaining the nature of a situation to make sure that all of the participants understood the logistics and potential causes for concern throughout the county. In addition, there was a section regarding maintenance of the agreement. The Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System plan devoted sections of its agreement to operationalizing, adopting and terminating the mutual aid plan. The Alamo Area Council of Governments plan devoted sections specifically to reimbursement and training and had a unique type of participant agreement.;It was evident through each of the three case studies that there were basic principles to a mutual aid agreement. Those principles included sections defining why the agreement existed and how it came into existence. However, each plan had its own unique characteristics, providing for interesting comparative case studies. This thesis will provide readers with a better understanding of the topic of regional mutual aid. In addition, this thesis provides a guide for jurisdictions and organizations seeking direction and models for creating regional mutual aid agreements.