The House Alarm Stays

An alarm system is installed at our house and plenty of large, colorful signs stick up through the bushes in the front and back yards alerting the world that we are protected.  I realize that it’s nearly impossible to calculate whether or not a particular security effort results in the elimination of a given threat.  I’d like to think that the alarm, cameras and lights help.  But really, who knows?

At the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, much is being written about homeland security and some writers are asking whether the billions of dollars spent over the past decade to counter terrorism has been money well spent.

It’s a good question.  Federal governments, corporate security departments and private citizens alike do well to assess the return on investment of their security expenditures.  Now more than ever, expensive programs are being scrutinized for their effectiveness.  And regardless of how much they cost, we welcome assurance that we are more secure as a result.

Along these lines, lately my roommate has questioned the house alarm expense -  ‘Do we really need this?’ – noting that we live in a quiet, relatively incident-free neighborhood and further, that no one has attempted to burglarize the house since the system was installed.  Hmm.

A similar argument has been made regarding U.S. homeland security, with some pundits claiming that insofar as Al Qaida or its equivalent hasn’t struck since 9/11 in any meaningful way, the threat has obviously subsided.

An Ohio State professor has been quoted stating that the number of people killed by Muslim terrorists is equivalent to the number “who die drowning in the bathtub each year.”  His point is that the likelihood of a terrorist attack is small and he questions whether the expenditures to make it even smaller are worth it.  That’s his take on it.

I find this analogy both disturbed and absurd.  Some arguments don’t stand on statistics.  The real cost of a terrorist attack is not so easily computed; its ramifications can spread in unpredictable directions.  To say nothing of issues of like, oh, national morale.  The future of a democratic west.  Global stability.  Stuff like that.  How can we know the absolute correlation between what we have spent and what might have happened had we not spent it?

In any event, the public expects its government to keep it secure, to assist its constituents both in protecting against and responding to disaster whether in the form of an attack by Mother Nature or by a terrorist.  We are willing to spend money and risk lives to save a single U.S. Army Seal.  We run school fire drills even though really, how many school fires break out?  After Hurricane Irene, Vermont residents are reminded of the importance of funding for National Guard helicopters in the wake of that unexpected catastrophe. We expect the government to invest in the greater good which includes preparing for the unlikely.

Sure, I recognize that a determined burglar could break in to our house.  But I do not intend on canceling the alarm service.  It is reasonable to assume that the system at least acts as a deterrent, even if I can’t say with statistical accuracy to what degree.  Safety, security and peace are critical elements to a society’s success; they are not quantifiable.  The system may not be perfect, there’s surely room for improvement but right now, we’re just doing the best we can.