In this Viewpoints, Lynnwood Police Chief Tom Davis is interviewed by fellow CHDS master’s degree alumnus Bijan Karimi, Assistant Deputy Director of the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management about countering violent extremism, the subject of Davis’ thesis. In his research, Davis examined how other western democracies have addressed this issue and what U.S. policy maker could learn from them. Using “social capital” to empower community groups, not just law enforcement and governments, has been shown a key ingredient of a successful of a CVE plan. Davis further discusses the concept of “definitional clarity” and the importance of its inclusion in policy documents. He also recommends the federal government house CVE policy under one agency to better accommodate state and local governments.
