Readiness Evaluation for Community Resilience Exercises

• In Event: What Works: Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in U.S. Communities

Abstract

In the wake of 9/11, efforts have been made by all levels of government to promote community resilience and engagement in an effort to counter violent extremism. One such effort is the
Community Resilience Exercise (CREX) program administered by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). These half-day events bring together a city's law enforcement officers and
community leaders to talk through multiple issues that confront their specific community, i.e. foreign fighter scenarios. These facilitated conversations allow for the various parties to understand better different perspectives and for all of them to come together to formulate community-specific strategies that can be used to identify and respond to radicalized behaviors. Currently, no formal evaluation process has been conducted for this program, therefore, this NIJ funded project seeks to evaluate the CREX program, and
provide objective recommendations and suggestions for improved implementation and increased effectiveness.

Author

• Ji Sun Lee, RTI International