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 occurred that day resulted in the largest emergency response in U.S. history. Hundreds of police, paramedics and firefighters surrounded the area. However, according to a New York Times article, "the New York Police Department's response to the September 11 attack was effective in many areas, but suffered from lapses in leadership and coordination and a lack of appropriate planning and training, according to a draft report. by an independent consultant from the ministry. (Rashbaum, 2002)To be a police officer, one must have more than just mental awareness and physical strength. Being prepared for any eventuality, at any time, is just one of the many characteristics that all police officers must possess. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of New York City police officers in this department on September 11th. Since no one was really prepared for such an event to happen, the police officers were very “lost” that day. Many articles reported that not only were officers unaware of who was in command that day and to whom they were accountable, but they also claimed that many officers acted without receiving prior instructions from their superiors. No one can guarantee that every split-second decision will be the right one, even if properly trained and prepared; it is much more likely that the best decision will be made. Unfortunately, our police department was not adequately trained before the terrorist attacks in New York. Before September 11, no one had ever predicted such a catastrophe, and our country was not prepared to face a terrorist attack of this intensity. Our country has not carried out adequate exercises...... middle of paper ......r improvement. The efforts that have been made to improve our country are certainly something to be proud of. In my opinion, if we can get smaller local law enforcement involved in whatever is happening in big cities, we might actually have a very good chance of preventing an event like 9/11 from happening. reproduces. Works Cited Serrao, S., & Peet, D. (November 30, 2011). 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. (July 26, 2002). 9/11 report reveals flaws in police department response. The New York Times. Accessed May 6, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/27/nyregion/report-on-9-11-finds-flaws-in-response-of-police-dept.html