Leigha Simonton, United States Attorney, Northern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
This week marks the 45th anniversary of the FBI's first Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), originally formed in New York in 1980. As part of the commemoration, Dallas Division's Special Agent in Charge (SAC) R. Joseph Rothrock joined colleagues nationwide to celebrate the collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies.
The JTTFs operate in each of the FBI’s 55 field offices and in various resident agencies across the nation, amounting to approximately 280 locations. The Dallas Field Office established its North Texas JTTF in 1995, bringing together investigative personnel from over 20 different agencies in the region.
These task forces are designed to unite investigators, analysts, linguists, and tactical experts from federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, and intelligence agencies. "We know from each potential crisis or thwarted attack that we cannot do this job alone," noted SAC Rothrock. The collaborative effort enhances the collective investigative capabilities to combat terrorism effectively.
The JTTF model originated in 1979 to tackle bank robberies and by 1980 had shifted focus to address increasing terror-related violence in New York. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Abe McGlothin, Jr., remarked, "The JTTF has been called upon to investigate some of the most horrific acts of violence imaginable and we should all be thankful for the work the JTTF does daily to keep communities across the United States safe."
In response to the September 11 attacks, the FBI expanded the JTTF initiative, directing all field offices to create local task forces, further supported by the National Joint Terrorism Task Force established in 2002.
Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham highlighted the importance of JTTF’s work: "We applaud the JTTF’s decades of significant efforts in partnership with the USAO-NDTX."
The JTTFs have played a crucial role in disrupting numerous terror plots, including several significant cases in the Dallas area. These include the sentencing of Hosam Maher Husein Smadi for a 2009 bombing attempt in downtown Dallas, Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari for targeting U.S. sites with improvised explosive devices, and Omer Kuzu for supporting ISIS.
Individuals are encouraged to report suspicious activities to the FBI via their hotline or online submission form.
