Insider Threats: Far-Right Violence in U.S. Law Enforcement

• In Event: U.S. Extremism and Terrorism: Perceptions, Threats, and Reponses

Abstract

As far-right violence continues to surge in the United States, understanding how far-right radicalization effects in law enforcement remains a crucial vulnerability. Using open-sources, we have developed two novel databases capturing more than 500 far-right incidents and 700 law enforcement perpetrators. Our robust databases capture dozens of variables related to the circumstances of the incident, the far-right motivation, and the characteristics of the law enforcement perpetrator. Analysis of this database reveals initial findings regarding the basic characteristics of far-right insider threats, the agencies that are most prone to insider threats, and the geographic dispersion of the incidents. To further understand the problem of radicalization of law enforcement, we developed and tested a conceptual framework using statistical regressions to better understand the characteristics of far-right insider threats. Our findings provide new insights into the overlooked yet dangerous nexus of policing and far-right radicalization.

Authors

• Tess Hemmila, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Arie Perliger, University of Massachusetts Lowell