Written by

George L. Kelling

Professor of Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston. Research Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Coauthor of Newark Foot Patrol Experiment.

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In the early 21st century, terrorism, particularly the September 11 attacks in the United States, profoundly affected the nature of policing. Although police had been combating terrorism long before 2001, the magnitude of the September 11 attacks and of subsequent acts of terrorism in other countries (including Spain, Britain, Morocco, and Egypt) showed that conventional tactics were no longer adequate. Police departments would have to work more closely with national security agencies, and many...

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