The United States has got to do more to protect its national security and public safety.
A senior Democratic politician admitted this after the 10th anniversary of the gruesome Boston Marathon Bombing where Islamist terrorists hurt hundreds of Americans using pressure cooker bombs.
Boston Marathon Bombing’s Grim Legacy
The Boston Marathon Attack was committed on April 15, 2013, by two Chechen Muslim brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
They used homemade bombs to kill three people and injure hundreds, of whom 17 lost at least one limb. The elder brother was later killed during a manhunt, while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is in custody and has been sentenced to death.
Speaking at a hearing of the Emerging Threats Subcommittee of the US Senate, its chairman, Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), declared the United States learned a lot from its mistakes during the Boston Marathon Bombing.
However, we still have a lot of work to do to protect ourselves from future terrorist attacks, The Independent reported. Hassan argued today’s technical capabilities of law enforcement help it identify public safety threats in real time.
At the same, though, she stated the US authorities still had a long way to go in boosting the nation’s “ability to prevent” or respond to newly emerging threats.
Her subcommittee’s hearing featured testimony by Edward Davis, a former Boston Police Commissioner, who warned artificial intelligence and technology scored great advances in the decade since the bombing.
ICYMI: 10 years after the Boston Marathon bombing, I led a bipartisan hearing to examine its impacts on emergency preparedness and homeland security – and the work ahead to keep our communities safe.
Watch highlights from the hearing ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oOzVOaKNTw
— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) April 27, 2023
TODAY – 10 years after the Boston Marathon bombing, @SenatorRomney and I are holding a hearing to recognize the anniversary, honor the victims, and reflect on the resilience and lessons learned.
Watch live at 10:30 AM: https://t.co/AmepqRz91p
— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) April 26, 2023
One of the hero’s of the Boston Marathon bombing was Sergeant Shana Cottone.
Shana Cottone was at the 2013 Boston Marathon, she was 50 feet away from the second bomb and tended to survivor Roseann Sdoia at the scene.
She is a hero!
Mayor Wu fired her for refusing the Vax! pic.twitter.com/6xDL9LGKGZ
— Papa Jon's Podcast (@PJPfreedom) April 18, 2023
Wide-Ranging Ideas of Emerging Threats
He argued such advancements in artificial intelligence could create new security problems by creating realistic false voices and images of people.
Thus, even though AI is offering real-time analytical opportunities to improve public safety and security, it could also cause threats, as it is “maturing,” Davis insisted.
He noted that AI-generated deep fakes could severely hamper both prevention and investigations.
Another testimony, by former Boston Emergency Medical Services chief Richard Serino, insisted that emerging threats to America’s security ranged from natural calamities to homelessness, the fentanyl epidemic, and terrorism.
During the same hearing, former FBI deputy assistant chief Kerry Sleeper said the new national security strategy should empower police agencies to cope with anything from terrorism to hate crimes.
The Senate subcommittee led by Hassan is tasked with reviewing emerging security threats and coming up with solutions on how to boost federal preparedness to respond to them.
A defining photo captured fear and resilience after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Ten years later, the moment is remembered by those who lived it. https://t.co/8mazBaTh4G pic.twitter.com/frQ6ttseaB
— CNN (@CNN) April 15, 2023
This article appeared in The State Today and has been published here with permission.10 years ago, 8-year-old Martin Richard was among the three killed in the Boston Marathon bombing.
His friends from their Boston neighborhood will honor his memory by running together in the race on Monday. pic.twitter.com/22yWmhPoPu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2023