TO:	All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact All Urban Areas Security Initiative Points of Contact All ODP Training Partners
FROM:	C. Suzanne Mencer
	Director
SUBJECT:	Prevention Guidelines for Homeland Security

On October 31, 2003 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) document entitled Prevention Guidelines for Homeland Security was made available on the ODP web site www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp.

Prevention Guidelines for Homeland Security represents a set of general activities, objectives, and elements to be considered in the development of prevention plans. The Prevention Guidelines are structured around the Jurisdiction as the locus of activity and control as opposed to previous plans which focus on each discipline separately. This document will be a valuable tool for states and local jurisdictions in overcoming organizational stovepipes that can result from discipline-based prevention plans.

The guidelines present the results of task analysis initiated by ODP in September 2002 with the assistance of multi-disciplinary, multi-wave Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The SMEs screened, categorized and revised the comments of field professionals on the threat of terrorism. This data was then condensed and used to develop a list of critical tasks that represent a "‘framework of prevention’ that each Jurisdiction should consider in adapting to the exigencies of terrorism."

We advise the jurisdiction and state administrators to become familiar with the Prevention Guidelines and recommend that policy makers and stakeholders focus on the tasks listed based on their jurisdiction’s unique capabilities and resources as directed by this document.