Because of the rising number of “home-grown terrorists,” the Escondido, CA, Police Department has developed an antiterrorist program that emphasizes the importance of establishing relationships within the community in recognizing and assessing potential criminal or terrorist behavior.
There are three noteworthy aspects of this program:
- Relationships. Law enforcement officials should build and maintain strong relationships with the members of their communities. The Escondido program is not restricted to identifying terrorist activity, but is designed also to engage communities on criminal and other law enforcement challenges they face. This program seeks to establish a basis of trust and encourage information sharing.
- Behavior, not identity. There is a significant difference between singling out a behavior and singling out an individual. Escondido is not singling out individuals on the basis of religion, race, or ethnicity, nor is it teaching community members to do so. Instead, Escondido looks for suspicious activity.
- Training. Training programs are essential in accurately teaching community members and law enforcement officers alike how to best identify suspicious behavior. Hundreds of police officers and public safety officials in Escondido and the surrounding environs have been trained as terrorism liaison officers, helping them determine the proper response to a potential incident. These liaisons also provide training to members of the community.
More often than not, community members or police officers on their daily beat are the ones who initially notice strange behavior, either through social media or through daily interactions. This model of community policing would help train the community on suspicious behaviors and would make for deeper relationships between community and police. Both developments would increase and improve the sharing of information about potential threats.
Grassroots involvement serves a crucial role in disaster response. The same holds true in regard to fighting criminality and terrorism. The unique position and ability of community members to recognize uncharacteristic behaviors and attitudes based from their own personal experiences and interactions is vital. Members of the community and members of law enforcement have much to gain from working together to maintain safe and secure communities.
Angelica Hickerson is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here.
