WTC Records Folder 0128 Disaster Information General label, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Responding to Terrorism Victims - Oklahoma City and Beyond Page 1 of 10

Chapter IX Policy Recommendations

U nfortunately, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was not the last act of terrorism involving Americans. It was followed by the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers United States military barracks in Saudi Arabia, the 1998 bombing of the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the murders of two Americans as part of a terrorist attack in Uganda Lessons were learned in response to these acts of terrorism along with those drawn from the trial of two Libyans charged with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Lessons from these later experiences in addition to those from the Oklahoma City bombing combine to frame a more complete and informed set of policy recommendations about responding to victims of terrorism

State and Local Victim Assistance

Recommendation 1

State and local authorities developing domestic emergency response plans should consider applicable legal requirements regarding the rights of crime victims and should include victim services representatives in planning and testing response protocols.

Discussion A number of efforts are ongoing involving federal, state, and local authorities to ensure that communities are in position to respond to terrorism State and local agencies should identify victim compensation and assistance resources available at the local, state, and federal levels to assist in responding to acts of terrorism. OVC is working with the Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support (OSLDPS) to coordinate the development of training and other tools focused on assisting victims. In addition, OVC and the U.S. Department of State have been working with an interagency task force to develop protocols for responding to victims of terrorism that occurs outside the borders of the United States.

Recommendation 2

Whenever possible, responding agencies should take steps to avoid unnecessary delays in death notification and the release of victim remains to Families and to handle notification in a sensitive manner. -

Discussion The processes of recovery and identification of remains may be extremely difficult and prolonged in terrorism crimes with mass casualties. Evidence has to be gathered for the investigation and may further delay the process, causing frustration and anger on the part of grieving families. The guiding principle should be to provide as much information as possible without jeopardizing either the

http://Www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications, mfores/respterrorism/chap9.htmi 9/29/01

NYC-WTC 000137332