Law Enforcement Efforts to Counter Violent Extremism: Lessons Learned from Past Cases

The White House’s Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States places significant responsibility upon local law enforcement to be a key actor in countering violent extremism and preventing potential terrorist acts in the United States in the future. While counterterrorism has rarely been the primary responsibility of law enforcement, the United States has long engaged law enforcement in counterterrorism efforts, particularly against domestic threats. Analyses of two past cases efforts to counter ecoterrorists and violent Puerto Rican nationalists demonstrate that law enforcement can have success in this role when agencies and individuals involved are willing and able to fully collaborate with colleagues, have access to an ongoing stream of intelligence and data, and apply innovative techniques for analyzing those data. These historical cases can provide important insights for today’s efforts to address persistent and emerging threats.