A program in counter-terrorism preparedness for international and domestic police forces and research at the Center on Terrorism at John Jay College

The proposed linkage between John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Turkish, Irish, English, Spanish and Lebanese Police seeks to build upon already existing relationships through the development of a common curriculum on the issue of Terrorism, Legitimacy, and Human Rights within a Comparative International Context. Three scholars from John Jay College will travel to these countries in 2004/5 to begin the joint development process:

1. Seeking to draw upon the experiences of these Police and Customs officials in combating the threat of the PKK, PIRA, HAMAS, AL-QAEDA etc. The researchers will conduct stakeholder interviews with key members of these forces to document response, challenges, as well as training approaches.

2. Focus groups will be held with the media, local politicians, and community representatives to examine perceptions of the counter-terrorism responses, and their impact on legitimacy

3. The researchers will conduct a pilot training with 35 middle ranking officers, in these countries, using the course as a forum for further perspectives and development.

Upon returning to the United States, a core curriculum will be developed that draws upon the common threads and lessons learned seeking to use the contexts as a framework for a course. Additional stakeholder interviews will be conducted in New York City (NYPD, PAPD, US Customs, etc.) for further development purposes.

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