Policing Terrorism, Crime Control, and Police-Community Relations - Learning from the Israeli Experience

This timely and important work takes a critical look at the shifting role of police, who are becoming increasingly responsible for handling terrorism threats on top of their regular responsibilities. With an unprecedented empirical study, the authors of this book examine whether this increased focus on security-related threats may come at the expense of addressing 'classic' police responsibilities, such as fighting crime and dealing with local, day-to-day community problems. They also examine whether this shift has had a detrimental effect on police-community relationships and perceptions of police legitimacy, as their role changes from 'service' to 'suspicion.' Through a four-year, multi-method study specifically focused on the Israel National Police, the authors of this work have examined the effects of this shifting role on a number of key areas of policing concern, namely: police effectiveness at fighting crime and police legitimacy, drawing conclusions applicable to any democratic police force. The results of the study provide a number of concrete recommendations for maintaining effectiveness and community relationships of the police, with increasing responsibilities, challenges, and limited resources. This work will be of interest for researchers in criminology and criminal justice, particularly with a focus on police studies and counter-terrorism; police administrators; and researchers in related disciplines, such as sociology and public administration.


Tal Jonathan-Zamir received her B.A. in Social Sciences from Bar-Ilan University in 2002, and her M.Sc. in 'Psychology and Investigations' from the Center for Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool, UK, in 2003. After returning to Israel, Tal began her doctoral studies at the Institute of Criminology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the supervision of Prof. David Weisburd. In 2010 Tal began her post-doc as a Fulbright research affiliate at George Mason University, Virginia. In September 2011 Tal began her appointment as a lecturer at the Institute of Criminology. Her main research interests include police-community relationships and public attitudes toward the police, legitimacy and procedural justice, policing terrorism and its implications, and Systematic Social Observations. David Weisburd is the Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law and Criminal Justice and Director of the Institute of Criminology, and Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Police Foundation, and Chair of its Research Advisory Committee. Professor Weisburd is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and of the Academy of Experimental Criminology. Professor Weisburd is editor of the Journal of Quantitative Criminology (Springer) and serves on a number of journal editorial boards including Criminology, the Journal of Crime and Delinquency, and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. In 2010 Professor Weisburd was the recipient of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, and also the Minister's Prize for Distinguished Immigrant Scientists.