NCJ Number
225428
Date Published
2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This chapter argues that U.S. police departments that serve Arab and Muslim communities, especially those with longstanding community-policing experience, can adapt strategies of community policing in order to establish constructive relationships with these communities that can include obtaining intelligence information from them while reducing fear of the police.
Abstract
Studies have shown that historically there has been a poor relationship between police and Arab and Muslim communities in the United States. This interaction became even more strained following the September 11 terrorist attacks. A study by the Vera Institute of Justice found that after the September 11 attacks, Arab-Americans were mainly concerned about an increasing sense of victimization, suspicion of law enforcement, concerns about protecting their civil liberties, and a fear of surveillance. They also reported they were reluctant to contact law enforcement officers because they did not trust them. On the other hand, law enforcement officials reported that they were mandated to incorporate new counterterrorism efforts in their daily activities, which threatened to undermine long-term efforts of police agencies to build trust with their communities, especially among immigrants. Community policing focuses on listening to members of the communities they serve in order to understand and respond to their fears, concerns, and perceptions of what is adversely affecting their quality of life. Under community policing, the agency then works with the community to develop strategies of cooperation in addressing these concerns. Community policing envisions the police and the community developing a partnership for the purpose of improving the safety and reducing the anxiety of residents regarding potential threats to their well-being, including terrorist activity in their midst. 30 references