LACP.org
.........
Militarizing the Homeland and Privatizing Anti-terrorism
-- American Policing for the 21st Century? --

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Militarizing the Homeland and Privatizing Anti-terrorism
by Dr. Arthur Jones and Dr. Robin Wiseman

EDITOR'S NOTE: This abstract is part of a much broader study, “Militarizing the Homeland and Privatizing Anti-terrorism", by the same authors, which is presented fully at the bottom of this page in pdf format. There are two versions offered here -- the complete 26 page presentation in English, and a 4 page synopsis in German.

There is a deep and widening gulf between the U.S. and Europe in fighting terrorism. Europe practices a composite police and prevention response, featuring international police cooperation, terrorist cell identification, cross-border sweeps, new interoperable communications systems, real time computer tracking/locating/mapping, intelligence gathering, information sharing, and advanced multidisciplinary police training.

Neither soldiers nor private security guards are trained for those tasks, but the public police forces of the 21st Century increasingly are being educated to achieve precisely those goals and more.

In large part, that is why Europeans – both EU and non-EU member states – have chosen to expand and educate their Community Policing forces to fight and prevent terrorism. Community Policing, when practiced in depth, robs terrorism of its allure, its romance, and its appearance of legitimacy to potential recruits. Invading soldiers, foreign or domestic, do not have that effect.

American foreign policy is fixed around a “war on terror” emphasizing the use of military force, working closely with private security companies. That same bundle of actors, motives and interests is now attaching itself to the fight against terrorism at home. This paper discusses the administration’s plan to phase out state and local police forces and replace them with private security and the military. This dangerous plan is being unveiled in stages by the President, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, and by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Militarizing the Homeland and Privatizing Anti-terrorism
-- 26 page pdf file - English full version (85 KB)

Militarizing the Homeland and Privatizing Anti-terrorism

-- 4 page pdf file - German synopsis (20 KB)

..........( NOTE these originally appeared at: http://www.jurawelt.com/aufsaetze/10557 )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Arthur A. Jones, J.D., Dr.jur.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- Arthur A. Jones and Robin Wiseman are international human rights lawyers with legal educations in the United States and Europe. They are consultants and authors on international policing, social policy and human rights, and regular contributors to the forum here at LA Community Policing.

For more of their work, please see the
Think Tank.

For additional information or a complete list of references, contact:

Dr. Arthur Jones

e-mail: Arthur@lacp.org