31 January 17
Bureau policies have been crafted to take into account the active presence of domestic extremists in U.S. police departments.
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supremacists and other domestic extremists maintain an active presence
in U.S. police departments and other law enforcement agencies. A
striking reference to that conclusion, notable for its confidence and
the policy prescriptions that accompany it, appears in a classified FBI
Counterterrorism Policy Guide from April 2015, obtained by The
Intercept. The guide, which details the process by which the FBI enters
individuals on a terrorism watchlist, the Known or Suspected Terrorist
File, notes that “domestic terrorism investigations focused on militia
extremists, white supremacist extremists, and sovereign citizen
extremists often have identified active links to law enforcement
officers,” and explains in some detail how bureau policies have been
crafted to take this infiltration into account.
Although these right-wing extremists have posed a
growing threat for years, federal investigators have been reluctant to
publicly address that threat or to point out the movement’s longstanding
strategy of infiltrating the law enforcement community.
No centralized recruitment process or set of national
standards exists for the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United
States, many of which have deep historical connections to racist
ideologies. As a result, state and local police as well as sheriff’s
departments present ample opportunities for white supremacists and other
right-wing extremists looking to expand their power base. READ MORE
