This essay was originally written by Alejandro del Carmen, The University of Texas at Arlington.

The morning of Tuesday September 11, 2001 was not expected to be any different from other summer mornings. Most Americans went about their business--rushing to work, dropping their children off at school, and planning their day as cell phones rang and crowded elevators suggested that the monotonous morning routine was at hand. However, at approximately 8:45 a.m., the world stood still with images of a civilian airplane crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center. The assumption by those failing to admit foul play, was that this incident constituted nothing more than an accident by a pilot that may have lost consciousness or perhaps it was due to a mechanical failure. This, however, was a short-lived position. At approximately 9:03 a.m., a second civilian airplane crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, leaving no doubt that this constituted a terrorist attack on America. This was later confirmed by reports that another airplane had crashed into the Pentagon while another hijacked plane had crashed south of Pittsburgh.

Those of us who watched live television on the morning of September 11, 2001 almost instantly recognized that we were living a historical moment that would be remembered and discussed by future generations. Although many issues have been raised regarding the September 11th terrorist attacks, little has been discussed regarding the method of response and legality of operations being followed by government officials. Thus, the attempt here will be to examine both the law enforcement response and coordination efforts while discussing the legal framework of operation that supports the jurisdiction of federal law enforcement agencies and the executive branch in their efforts to fight terrorism.