Hostname: page-component-6587cd75c8-r56mn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-23T17:05:25.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Local Role in Homeland Security

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

David Thacher
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

There has been considerable discussion since September 11 of the enormous resource that local police potentially represent in the fight against terrorism. This article identifies limits to the local role in homeland security by analyzing a case study of Dearborn, Michigan. Partly because Dearborn is home to one of the largest concentrations of Arabs in the United States, its experience with homeland security highlights two kinds of burdens that cities incur when they engage in proactive surveillance to identify potential terrorists: damage to their reputation (since police surveillance implies that its objects are not trustworthy) and damage to police legitimacy (since new surveillance may undermine trust between police and the community). Because the benefits of efforts to identify terrorists typically accrue to jurisdictions other than the one that engages in it—unlike street crime, terrorism is a national or even international problem—local governments have little reason to pursue it. Instead, cities such as Dearborn have reason to emphasize what I call the “community protection” aspects of homeland security, such as target hardening and emergency response. This finding has more general implications for our understanding of the police role and the politics of policing, showing how both are shaped by the structural location police occupy in federalist systems of government.

Type
Articles of General Interest
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , September 2005 , pp. 635 - 676
Copyright
© 2005 Law and Society Association.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

I would like to thank Ann Lin, Michael Musheno, and the editor and reviewers at Law & Society Review for helpful comments on this article, as well as Liz Gerber and Barry Rabe for helpful discussion. This research was supported by a grant from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the University of Michigan.

References

References

Applebaum, Arthur (1996) “Racial Generalization, Police Discretion, and Bayesian Contractualism,” in Kleinig, J., ed., Handled with Discretion. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Associated Press (2002) “Dearborn Plans for Homeland Security,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, Jan. 14.Google Scholar
Banton, Michael (1964) The Policeman in the Community. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Bass, Sandra (2000) “Negotiating Change: Community Organizations and the Politics of Policing,” 36 Urban Affairs Rev. 148–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bayley, David (1985) Patterns of Policing. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Bayley, David (1994) Police for the Future. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Berger, William (2002) “A Review of the Relationship Between a Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community,” Testimony before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, June 26. 107th Congress, 2d sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Biden, Joseph (2003) “Give Local Police, Officials Resources to Do Their Job,” http://polkonline.com (March 22).Google Scholar
Bittner, Egon (1990) Aspects of Police Work. Boston: Northeastern Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Brenner, Neil (1994) “Foucault's New Functionalism,” 23 Theory and Society 679–709.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burawoy, Michael (1998) “The Extended Case Method,” 16 Sociological Theory 4–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Jodi (2002) “Uneasiness Follows Her at Home, Work,” Detroit News, 11 Sept., p. S-8.Google Scholar
Crank, John P., & Langworthy, Robert (1992) “An Institutional Perspective of Policing,” 83 J. of Criminal Law and Criminology 338–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cullen, Julie, & Levitt, Steven (1999) “Crime, Urban Flight, and The Consequences for Cities,” 81 Rev. of Economics and Statistics 159–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahl, Robert (1961) Who Governs? New Haven: Yale Univ. Press.Google Scholar
DiIulio, John Jr. (1989) “The Impact of Inner-City Crime,” 96 The Public Interest 28–46.Google Scholar
Dworkin, Ronald (1986) Law's Empire. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Ericson, Richard, & Haggerty, Kevin (1997) Policing the Risk Society. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanagan, Newman (2002) “Message from the Executive Director,” National District Attorney's Association, Sept.-Oct., http://www.ndaa.org (accessed May 13, 2005).Google Scholar
Foucault, Michel (1977) Discipline and Punish. New York: Vintage.Google Scholar
Foucault, Michel (1980) Power/Knowledge. New York: Pantheon.Google Scholar
Fraser, Nancy (1981) “Foucault on Modern Power,” 1 Praxis International 272–87.Google Scholar
Geller, William, & Morris, Norval (1992) “Relations Between Federal and Local Police,” in Tonry, M. & Morris, N., eds., Modern Policing. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Greenstone, J. David, & Peterson, Paul (1975) Race and Authority in Urban Politics. New York: Russell Sage.Google Scholar
Grodzins, Morton (1966) The American System. Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Hakim, Danny (2001) “Inquiries Put Mideast Men In Spotlight,” New York Times, 16 Nov., p. B-10.Google Scholar
Hart, H. L. A. (1968) Punishment and Responsibility. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Heinz, Anne, et al. (1983) Crime in City Politics. New York: Longman.Google Scholar
Henig, Jeffrey (1978) “Copping a Cop: Neighborhood Organizations and Police Patrol Allocation,” 7 J. of Voluntary Action Research 75–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herbert, Steve (1997a) Policing Space. Minneapolis: Univ. of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Herbert, Steve (1997b) “Territoriality and the Police,” 49 Professional Geographer 86–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herel, Suzanne, & Hendricks, Tyche (2001) “Fremont police turn down ACLU, will help FBI with questioning,” San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Dec., p. A-9.Google Scholar
Higham, John (1988) Strangers in the Land, 2d. ed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (2002) We Are Not the Enemy: Hate Crimes against Arabs, Muslims, and Those Perceived to be Arab or Muslim after September 11. Report, November. Washington, D.C.: Human Rights Watch.Google Scholar
Hunter, Floyd (1953) Community Power Structure. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Imbroscio, David (2003) “Overcoming the Neglect of Economics in Urban Regime Theory,” 25 J. of Urban Affairs 271–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, Shawn (2002) “Arabs feel chill of scrutiny,” Detroit News, 11 Sept., p. S-10.Google Scholar
Lyons, William (1999) The Politics of Community Policing. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maguire, Edward, & King, William (2004) “Trends in the Policing Industry,” 593 Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 15–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
March, James, & Olsen, Johan (1989) Rediscovering Institutions. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Marx, Gary (1988) Undercover: Police Surveillance in America. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meares, Tracey, & Kahan, Dan (1999) “When Rights Are Wrong,” 24 Boston Rev. 4–8.Google Scholar
Moore, Mark H. (1995) Creating Public Value. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Moritz, Owen (2001) “Local Victims of Backlash Deny Accusations,” New York Daily News, 14 Sept., p. 76.Google Scholar
Nagel, Thomas (1998) “Concealment and Exposure,” 27 Philosophy & Public Affairs 3–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemiec, Dennis (2002) “Dearborn to Adopt Antiterror Program,” Detroit Free Press, 14 Jan., p. B-1.Google Scholar
Nonet, Philippe, & Selznick, Philip (1978) Law and Society in Transition. New York: Octagon.Google Scholar
Northeast Regional Homeland Security Agreement (2003) “Letter to Department of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge,” July 24.Google Scholar
Oberweis, Trish, & Musheno, Michael (1999) “Policing Identities: Cop Decision Making and the Constitution of Citizens,” 24 Law and Social Inquiry 897–923.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office of the Attorney General (2001) “Interviews Regarding International Terrorism,” Memorandum for all United States Attorneys and all members of the anti-terrorism task forces, November 9.Google Scholar
Office of the Deputy Attorney General (2001) “Guidelines for the Interviews Regarding International Terrorism,” Memorandum for all United States Attorneys and all members of the anti-terrorism task forces, November 9.Google Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor, & Whitaker, Gordon (1973) “Does Local Community Control of Police Make a Difference? Some Preliminary Findings,” 17 American J. of Political Science 48–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, Paul (1981) City Limits. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, Paul, et al. (1986) When Federalism Works. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.Google Scholar
Pierre, Robert (2002) “Fear and Anxiety Permeate Arab Enclave Near Detroit,” Washington Post, 4 Aug., p. A-3.Google Scholar
Rubinstein, Jonathan (1973) City Police. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.Google Scholar
Schaefer, Jim (2001) “U.S. softens tactics in terror questioning,” Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov., p. A-1.Google Scholar
Selznick, Philip (1957) Leadership in Administration. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson, and Co.Google Scholar
Sharp, Elaine (1999) Culture Wars and Local Politics. Lawrence: Univ. of Kansas Press.Google Scholar
Skogan, Wesley (1988) “Community Organizations and Crime,” in Tonry, M. & Morris, N., eds., Crime and Justice, Vol. 10. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Skolnick, Jerome (1975) Justice Without Trial, 2d ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Stone, Clarence (2004) “It's More than the Economy After All,” 26 J. of Urban Affairs 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thacher, David (2001a) “Conflicting Values in Community Policing,” 35 Law & Society Rev. 765–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thacher, David (2001b) “Policing Is Not a Treatment: Alternatives to the Medical Model of Police Research,” 38 J. of Research in Crime and Delinquency 387–415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thacher, David (forthcoming)“The Normative Case Study,” American J. of Sociology.Google Scholar
Thacher, David, & Rein, Martin (2004) “Managing Value Conflict in Public Policy,” 17 Governance 457–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, Tom (2004) “Enhancing Police Legitimacy,” 593 Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 84–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. Census Bureau (2000) Census 2000. Summary File 3: Table QT-P13. American Factfinder, http://factfinder.census.gov (accessed May 2005).Google Scholar
U.S. Conference of Mayors (2002) The Cost of Heightened Security in America's Cities: A 192-City Survey, January. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Conference of Mayors.Google Scholar
U.S. General Accounting Office (2002) INS Cannot Locate Many Aliens Because It Lacks Reliable Address Information. Report to Congressional Requesters #GAO-03-188.Google Scholar
U.S. General Accounting Office (2003) Justice Department's Project to Interview Aliens After September 11, 2001. GAO Report to Congressional Committees # GAO-03-459.Google Scholar
Walzer, Michael (1983a) Spheres of Justice. New York: Basic.Google Scholar
Walzer, Michael (1983b) “The Politics of Michel Foucault,” 30 Dissent 481–91.Google Scholar
Weber, Max (1978) Economy and Society, 2 vols. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.Google Scholar
Westley, William (1953) “Violence and the Police,” 59 American J. of Sociology 34–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilgoren, Jodi (2001) “Michigan ‘Invites’ Men From Mideast to Be Interviewed,” New York Times, 27 Nov., p. A-1.Google Scholar
Wilson, James Q. (1968) Varieties of Police Behavior. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, James Q. (1972) “The Police in the Ghetto,” in Steadman, R., ed., The Police and the Community. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Winship, Chris, & Berrien, Jenny (1999) “Boston Cops and Black Churches,” 136 Public Interest 52–68.Google Scholar

Statute Cited

Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994 [Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994]. Pub. L. No. 103-322, 108 Stat. 1796, 1807 (1994).Google Scholar