Not only do police officers have to contend with the everyday criminals who burglarize homes, steal vehicles, and commit robberies and other crimes, but now they have to be watchful for extremist groups that have their own agendas and are ready to destroy property, start fires and attack the people they feel are opposed to their ideological-based views.

They let nothing stand in their way as they work to achieve their goals. It's important for officer safety to understand the goals of these people and what makes them tick. That way, if they have a chance or planned encounter with members of these groups – whether it's a traffic stop, serving a warrant or summons or another law enforcement task – they'll know how to protect themselves.

Since 1996, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) has been providing free training through the State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training Program (SLATT) to police departments across the nation.

Backed by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) this entity has informed police officers throughout the United States how to identify the potentially dangerous terrorist/extremist. With nationally recognized instructors like William E. Dyson and Jonathan White, IIR strives to equip police officers with the critical thinking skills and the knowledge they need to distinguish between the terrorist and the common criminal.

This extremist/terrorist concept is new learning that differs from the traditional reasonable suspicion, reason to believe and probable cause. This new learning is all about understanding the causes the extremist and terrorist are committed to, how their organization works, networking, safety and pro-active intelligence. Without this mindset, we will not be able to curtail the activities of the domestic extremist.

Although these radical environmentalist organizations claim to have never caused a death or harm to any individual as a result of their activities, since 2003 FBI claims that eco-terrorists have caused $200 million dollars in damages as the result of fires and the destruction of property.

We live in dangerous times and we must be on the alert for attacks from the common criminal and well as terrorists and extremists. As the late Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) of "Hill Street Blues" would say at roll-call, "Let's be careful out there."

Lance Burris is a retired chief of detectives, a master instructor with the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and a frequent contributor to American Police Beat.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites