Community Policing ‘Key’ to Preventing Violent Extremism
Sheriff’s deputies patrol Union Station in Los Angeles a day after explosions hit the Boston Marathon April 16, 2013. Officials investigating the Boston Marathon bombing said on Tuesday that no additional explosive devices have been discovered other than the two that detonated near the race’s finish line, a development that could complicate the case. At this point, no one is in custody in connection with the Monday afternoon attack that left three dead and sent 176 to area hospitals, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES – Tags: CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST) – RTXYO0X
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill held their first hearing Thursday on the Boston Marathon bombings.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis was among those who testified. He highlighted ways to prevent future attacks – such as reaching out to diverse communities and building relationships before a crisis happens.
Former Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem agrees that creating a new model of community policing that gains the confidence of all citizens – including immigrants – could be a key to preventing another attack. The new measures, she says, shouldn’t prevent communities from coming together.
“You don’t want an East Germany circa 1980s society. You want people to be able to pray and be together in an open democratic society without everyone pointing fingers at each other,” Kayyem says.