WHITING | Crime, its consequences and associated liabilities are at the heart of a book James Pastor wrote in part because he could find so few textbooks on the subject for the classes he teaches at Calumet College.
Not surprisingly, Pastor, who is an assistant professor in public safety, identifies terrorism as a top issue of the future, as well as the field of security law. That's covered in his publication "Security Law and Methods."
"Security law is where elder law, family law, environmental law were 30 years ago. They were unheard of," said Pastor, a former Chicago police officer who earned his law degree from John Marshall School of Law in Chicago.
The threat of terrorism has of course been high profile in the wake of Sept. 11, but security issues existed before the attack on the Twin Towers, he said.
Pastor, who focused his thesis on the issue of terrorism while obtaining his master's degree at the University of Illinois, said he has dealt with that same issue at various points of his career and at different levels, such as when he worked in the Police Department's Gang Unit in Chicago.
Dealing with terrorism at its most basic levels involves two issues that are fundamentally incompatible: individual rights and the need for public safety.
Terrorism policy tends to see-saw back and forth between the two, depending on the situation, he said.
"Right after 9/11 and the threat level was high, people didn't mind waiting in line in airports," Pastor said. "But years later, when the threat level is down," people aren't so patient.
Dealing with terrorism successfully involves striking a balance between individual rights and public safety, something which the American justice system will continue to deal with, he said. Meanwhile, there are many other issues which also involve individual rights and safety, and employers, states and municipalities, and even the federal government deal with these issues on a regular basis.
In his book, Pastor also touches on workplace violence and sexual harassment, as well as the legal liability which may arise from either situation.
