Posted on 11/09/2007 9:08:35 AM PST by Keli Kilohana
Lancaster, PA - Civil rights advocates criticized plans by the Police Department to map the county's Amish communities, calling it racial profiling.
The LCPD's counterterrorism bureau plans to identify Amish enclaves in order to determine which might be likely to become isolated and susceptible to "violent, ideologically based extremism," said Deputy Chief Michael P. Drowning on Thursday.
"We want to know where the Shakers, Quakers and Amish are so we can reach out to those communities," said Drowning, who heads the counterterrorism bureau.
Downing said the plan is still in its early stages, but the LCPD wants to work with a Amish partner and intends to have the data assembled by the University of Penssylvania Center for Risk and Economic Analysis.
Drowning testified about the plan before a U.S. Senate committee on Oct. 30.
In his testimony, Downing said his bureau wanted to "take a deeper look at the history, demographics, language, culture, ethnic breakdown, socioeconomic status and social interactions" of the county's Amish communities.
Wow-—that’s very interesting!
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