Following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1995, the U.S. Attorney General asked the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to develop a counterterrorism training program for law enforcement in the United States. Developed together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the SLATT Program was designed to provide instruction to enable state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement to recognize the precursor indicators of terrorist activity in order to help prevent acts of terrorism in the United States.
The threat posed by terrorism has evolved significantly since 9/11. As threats to the United States and U.S. interests continue to emerge, we must adapt and confront these challenges by building partnerships that support the detection of and response to threats of terrorism and targeted violence.
Our nation’s SLTT law enforcement officers and criminal justice, homeland security, and mission-critical partners—including private and public sector security, emergency management, and prosecutors—must have the proper training and resources to effectively address terrorism and targeted violence threats within the homeland. The SLATT Program utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to deliver timely and relevant training to effectively address current and emerging threats within the framework of the Constitution.
The SLATT Program offers an initial introduction to countering terrorism and targeted violence. The curricula are designed to enhance participants’ understanding of complex threats and their critical role in identifying, investigating, analyzing, preventing, and responding to terrorism and targeted violence attacks.
BJA believes that SLTT law enforcement, in collaboration with mission-critical partners, serves as the front line of defense against threats to the homeland, and BJA is committed to supporting this partnership.
Since its inception in 1996, the SLATT Program has trained nearly 430,000 law enforcement, criminal justice, and homeland security professionals throughout the country.
