Community Outreach or Intelligence Gathering? A Closer Look at “Countering Violent Extremism” Programs

CVE Community Outreach Security

On September 15, 2014, the Department of Justice announced it would partner with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center to create a community outreach program designed to “counter violent extremism” in the United States. The pilot program is set to begin in Boston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul, with the aim of becoming a “model for the rest of the country.” If this new initiative is to be successful, however, the FBI must resist the temptation to combine community outreach and intelligence gathering.