39th Annual NAPO Conference
Defeating the network
Terrorism expert John Miller addresses NAPO about the rise of ISIS and
law enforcement’s role in thwarting the threats
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Just four blocks away from Madison Avenue, the advertising
mecca of Manhattan, a group of NAPO members listened to
a presentation about marketing terrorism. Here, at the Westin
Hotel in Times Square, law enforcement officers from across
the nation learned that the techniques corporate ad agencies
use to craft catchy slogans to attract an audience are no dif-
ferent than the communication tools ISIS uses to expand its
network of terror across the globe.
Known as the man who interviewed Osama bin Laden in
1998 on ABC News, John Miller is now the Deputy Commis-
sioner of Intelligence and Counter-terrorism for the NYPD.
Miller doesn’t only know about terrorism – it’s like he knows
it personally.
On June 24, Miller took the stand at the 39th Annual NAPO
Convention to share the current impact of terrorism, both
internationally and nationally, involving law enforcement,
drawing from his career experiences and resources from the
media to analyze how ISIS has risen to be the become the big-
gest threat of terror in the modern age. He revealed the ISIS
protocol of propaganda as its deadliest weapon, using high-
end infomercials spread through YouTube and other social
media to reach men and women around the world who feel
misunderstood and glorify the opportunity to be a hero by
pledging commitment to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“The greatest weapon they have is not the rifle, it’s not the
bullet, it’s not the bomb…” Miller clarified. “The greatest
weapon they have is the communication tools that they use
to transcend their numbers, their power, even what they are
as an organization.”
Miller showed the ISIS marketing pitch through videos
made to spread its story. In one, a Canadian citizen explains
how and why he decided to join ISIS, a propaganda tactic the
terrorist group uses to captivate an audience with one very
powerful incentive: the opportunity to have purpose and be
a hero.
“There you are…isolated and in the glow of that comput-
er at 1:30 in the morning, as you are searching for meaning,”
Miller analyzed as the video played. “Here’s this thing saying,
‘You can have it. You can be a hero. Your life can matter.’”
He further explained how ISIS takes the local approach.
Unlike al-Qaeda’s mission to rid the Islamic state of western
influence by recruiting soldiers to fight on its soil, ISIS en-
courages members to attack wherever they are: Boston, Paris,
Orlando, London, New York, New Jersey. The location doesn’t
matter; it’s the impact of the attack that spreads a message
that strengthens their movement. The ISIS guidelines of ter-
ror come with one specific instruction: to make sure the world
46
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ AUGUST 2017
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John
Miller speaks about law enforcement fighting terrorism at the 39th Annual
NAPO Convention.
knows who is responsible for the attack.
“These people read the instructions and follow the instruc-
tions,” Miller detailed. “They make sure that in the dying lives
scenario, they put ISIS stamp on the attack.”
Omar Mateen remembered this instruction on the night he
decided to unleash terror in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
After killing 49 innocent civilians and injuring 58 others, Ma-
teen called Orlando police to make a statement about the at-
tack, which Miller presented to NAPO members.
“What’s your name?” asked the Orlando police officer who
took his call.
“My name is…I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghda-
di of the Islamic state,” Mateen stated.
Following three similar calls and a three-hour standoff with
police, Mateen was shot and killed.
Stopping the unpredictable
Miller referenced attacks in Boston, Orlando and New York
to show how unpredictable the places and people of destruc-
tion have proved to be.
“This is what we train for,” Miller addressed the room of law
enforcement. “And then our largest loss of lives comes at 2:30
a.m. at a gay club in Orlando. That would have never been
on our list. It shows the level of unpredictability and random-
ness. You can’t protect everything.”
In September 2016, the unpredictability of terror played out
on the streets of Manhattan, when a pressure-cooker device