ABSTRACT
Los Angeles is one of the pioneering cities in the US in adopting the nation’s strategy in counter-terrorism. This also includes interventions to undermine the attraction of extremist movements and ideologies that promote violent extremism. LA’s experience in dealing with a wide spectrum of violent extremism, from gang violence to extreme right/leftwing groups, and other domestic violent extremism, has made the city proficient in dealing with cases of individuals influenced by violent extremism.
This chapter will explain the development of LA model – known as ‘Providing Alternatives to Hinder Extremism’ (PATHE). It also discusses the framework it uses to deal with violent extremism through its whole of government and whole of community approach. The chapter argues that PATHE is not a prosecution tool or means to profile individuals, but rather to profile behaviours and provide intervention strategies.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) personnel and investigators used PATHE as a multi-disciplinary, interagency risk assessment and management strategy to identify behaviours. This is exhibited by a person suffering from a mental illness or mental health crisis – which may be an indication of an individual vulnerability to take part in violence. The chapter will expound on this multi-disciplinary interagency operation and track its intervention to hinder extremism.
