Suspicious Outbreak? Why Joint Public Health and Law Enforcement Investigations Are Effective and Efficient

BACKGROUND:   Events such as the 2001 anthrax attacks have proven America is vulnerable to acts of bioterrorism. Current intelligence indicates American assets and citizens will continue to be targets of terrorists. Due to the unique challenges posed by a bioterrorism incident, such as the difficulty associated with detecting an attack, an effective response calls for a high level of cooperation between public health and law enforcement. The lack of mutual awareness and understanding, as well as the absence of established communication procedures, could limit the effectiveness of law enforcement's and public health's separate, but often overlapping, investigations. Due to the continued likelihood of a biological attack, the effective use of all resources during a bioterrorism incident is critical to ensure an efficient and appropriate response. By working together, public health and law enforcement can achieve their shared objective of saving lives by identifying the biological agent, preventing the spread of disease, preventing public panic, and apprehending those responsible.

METHODS: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a Joint Criminal and Epidemiological Investigations Model in order to increase awareness of the bioterrorism threat and improve response.  The purpose of the model is to train law enforcement and public health professionals how to work closely together for notification and information sharing purposes in order to successfully and rapidly respond to a suspicious biological incident. 

RESULTS:   Increased law enforcement and public health collaboration results in the early identification and notification that a suspicious biological event has occurred and allows for a rapid and ongoing assessment of whether this event is man-made or naturally-occurring.  This joint response results in the protection of the health and safety of the public.

CONCLUSIONS:   The Joint Criminal and Epidemiological Investigations Model underscores why it is vital that communication flows between public health and law enforcement.  If a biological attack were to occur in a region that has had no training on these principles and tactics, the likelihood of successful identification, attribution, and timely apprehension would be diminished.  This would result in missing the early stages of a covert biological attack, resulting in public panic and lives lost.  By working together, public health and law enforcement can more rapidly identify the threat, mitigate the threat, and identify the cause.