September 11, 2001 marks a day in the history of the United States that no one will ever forget. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center that day prompted the largest emergency response ever seen in U.S. history. Hundreds of police officers, first responders and firefighters surrounded the area. However, according to a New York Times article, "the New York Police Department's response to 9/11 was effective in many areas, but suffered from deficiencies in leadership and coordination and a lack of planning and adequate training, according to a draft report." by an independent consultant for the department." (Rashbaum, 2002) To be a police officer, one must have more than just mental awareness and physical strength. Being prepared for anything, at any time, is just one of the many characteristics that all police officers must Unfortunately, on the day of September 11, there was a shortage of New York police officers. Since no one was really prepared for such an event to occur, the police officers were very “lost” that day articles reported that the officers were not only unaware of who was responsible that day and to whom they should report, but also stated that many officers acted without first receiving instructions from their superiors. No one can guarantee that every decision made in a fraction of second is the correct one, however, if properly trained and prepared the best decision is much more likely to be made. Unfortunately, our police department was not adequately trained before the terrorist attacks in New York City. Before 9/11, no one had ever predicted such a disaster, and our country was not prepared to handle such an intense terrorist attack. Our country didn't do the proper drills... half of the paper... an improvement. The efforts made to improve our country are definitely something to be proud of. In my opinion, if we can get smaller local law enforcement involved in everything that happens in larger cities, we might actually have a very good chance of preventing an event like 9/11 from happening again. Works Cited Serrao, S. , & Peet, D. (2011, November 30). How 9/11 changed law enforcement intelligence analysis. 9-1-1 Magazine: How 9/11 Changed Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.9-1-1magazine.com/Serrao-Peet-How-Sep-11-Changed-Intel-AnalysisRashbaum, W. (2002, July 26). A 9/11 report finds flaws in the police department's response. The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/27/nyregion/report-on-9-11-finds-flaws-in-response-of-police-dept.html