How The Boston Marathon Bombing Affected UsAmylia KosichPrinciples of Law Enforcement CRN: 60778Abstract The Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013 shaped the citizens of the greater Boston, Massachusetts area and America, how police respond to and handle similar situations, and showed the American people how social media has developed in spreading news since September 11, 2001 as well as social medias loss of censorship following this event. This research paper will discuss how the citizens were affected by the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing.
This research paper will also explore how the Boston Marathon Bombing changed the police behavior in that area and in America. Throughout this paper it will also include the outside resources that were brought in to help the victims and the police recover and handle the aftermath of such an event. Lastly, this research paper will discuss how social media has evolved since the events of September 11, 2001. BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGThe Boston Marathon Bombing on April 15, 2013 was a massive and intentional attack executed by two individuals acting as part on behalf of their belief in a larger organization.
The Boston Marathon Bombing had an effect on the citizens, police, and social media.The morning of April 15, 2013 started out like any other and the city of Boston was well prepared for another great marathon. What Boston did not know was that it was also more prepared than expected for a massive terrorist attack such as this one. Why Was Boston Strong? Lessons from the Boston Marathon Bombing states The research points strongly to the fact that the emergency response following the bombing in Boston and the events in Cambridge and Watertown at the end of the week were shaped to a substantial degree by the multidimensional preparedness of the region.(Leonard, H. B., Cole, C. M., Howitt, A. M., & Heymann, P. B. (2014, April). ) Why Was Boston Strong Lessons from the Boston Marathon Bombing also says that the majority of the reason they are prepared for situations similar to those of the bombing are because of the preparation for events hosted in Boston. The article The Boston Marathon: Why Did It Work So Well? gives a lot of credit to the bystanders of the marathon Overall, only three people were killed by these explosive devices, and all three died before reaching the hospital. Not one patient who arrived at a hospital subsequently died. How did this happen? This astoundingly high survival rate, despite the nature and severity of the injuries, is a tribute to the courageous and rapid response of bystanders and first responders, expert field triage, rapid transportation of injured persons, and the skills and coordination of the receiving hospital trauma teams.( Walls, R. M. (2013, June 19). All in all Boston was argumentatively prepared for this situation due to planning and citizen participation. This mentality is also what helped the community come together to heal, rebuild, and support each other in the aftermath.The article The Boston Marathon: Why Did It Work So Well? also states The research also suggests that the major contributing factors to much of what went well ” and to some of what went less well ” were command and coordination structures, relationships, and processes through which responding organizations were deployed and managed.(Walls, R. M. (2013, June 19). The same article discusses the implementation of the NIMS system and how the smaller multi-department teams on the street help with the rapid response to situations. Be Prepared: The Boston Marathon and Mass-Casualty Events discusses how the response by the Boston Police was not just something that they created all on their own; the article says It’s important to recognize that the response in Boston generally followed a very carefully crafted and much-practiced set of plans and that those plans owe much to the lessons of others in the unfortunate fraternity of cities that have experienced mass casualties from intentional attacks. I think it is important for all departments to communicate to other departments or contribute to journals after such attacks what went well and what went not so well. Unfortunately, events like the Boston Marathon and 9/11 are the only way we as a society and as law enforcement can improve. The use of social media following this event was extremely helpful as bystanders used it and police were able to narrow in on the specific area of the attacks. As the article Twitter as a Sentinel in Emergency Situations: Lessons from the Boston Marathon Explosions states Individuals immediately adjacent to the explosions posted messages within minutes via Twitter which identify the location and specifics of events, demonstrating a role for social media in the early recognition and characterization of emergency events. (Cassa, C. A., Chunara, R., Mandl, K., & Brownstein, J. S. (2013, July 02). I think this is a great use of the media in events such as the Boston Marathon Bombing. The only problem with such use of media is not only muddling through misleading or false information but also, the effects media can have on those recovering from similar events. The point of view explaining the negative effects of media states, Media coverage of collective traumas may trigger psychological distress in individuals outside the directly affected community. Repeated bombing-related media exposure was associated with higher acute stress than was direct exposure. Media coverage following collective traumas can diffuse acute stress widely. (Holman, E. A., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C. (2014, January 07). I believe this is something to strongly consider when deciding how much media should be able to share, how media can be helpful or harmful, and what censorship should be used by the media in such events.In conclusion, overall the Boston Marathon Bombing was a devastating event that was eventually adapted into a learning experience not only for the citizens of the greater Boston area but, America as well. The learning experience was also implemented by the police in the Boston area and will be a learning experience to departments across America. References:Be Prepared – The Boston Marathon and Mass-Casualty Events: NEJM. (n.d.). Retrieved from C. A., Chunara, R., Mandl, K., & Brownstein, J. S. (2013, July 02). Twitter as a sentinel in emergency situations: Lessons from the Boston marathon explosions. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from E. A., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C. (2014, January 07). Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from H. B., Cole, C. M., Howitt, A. M., & Heymann, P. B. (2014, April). Why was Boston Strong? Lessons from the Boston Marathon Bombing. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from R. M. (2013, June 19). The Boston Marathon Response. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from