Threats from Within: An Exploration of Far-Right Insider Threats in Law Enforcement

• In Event: Characterizing and Preventing Domestic Terrorism: A Mixed-Methods Study of Far-Right Extremist Incidents and Perpetrators

Abstract

A notable characteristic of far-right activity in the United States is the prominence of law enforcement perpetrators, often referred to as insider threats. The extent of law enforcement officers’ engagement with extremist groups and the threat that they may pose has not been clearly identified. The current research will contribute to the growing insider threat literature with an exploratory approach. First, we create a dataset of incidents involving police officers engaged in far-right violence or illegal activities, as well as a dataset documenting various traits and characteristics of the relevant perpetrators. We utilize these datasets in order to identify trends, which we will further investigate by analyzing a series of case studies. The case studies will be used to evaluate the accuracy of identified trends and to assess the degree to which certain factors explain law enforcement engagement in far-right violence. This analysis can be used to develop a new theoretical framework of far-right insider threats in law enforcement.

Author

• Tess Hemmila, University of Massachusetts Lowell