Extremists, Conspiracies, and Sovereign Citizens

Our country is in the midst of an ideological civil war, and those in law enforcement find themselves in the crosshairs while trying to keep the peace. From the events that have unfolded in the past few years, from Charlottesville to January 6th, as well as historic terror attacks like Oklahoma City Bombing, we can see the very fabric of our society being pulled at the seams. This class breaks down the fundamental ideology of the various extremist belief systems, from sovereign citizens to Patriot Front, as well as Fringe groups that have taken up the headlines like Antifa and Boogaloo Bois. Attendees will learn the subtle indicators of an extremist or hate group presence in their jurisdictions, and the best course of action to move forward. Such topics as home-grown violent extremists (HGVE), racially motivated violent extremists (RMVE), and anti-authority anti-government violent extremists (AAGAVE) will be covered in depth, and understand how social media platforms and messaging services, like Telegram, play a crucial role in investigations into these actors.

Attendees will understand how conspiracies, often birthed and fostered online, are often the cornerstone to the extremist mindset, specifically concerning QAnon. Attendees will also learn about how extremist content is often disguised as pro-police, often resulting in law enforcement sharing or liking memes or posts from accounts attributed to extremism which can be extremely detrimental. Attendees will also learn of various sovereign citizen movements and the best course of action should there be any law enforcement encounters. This is the first class of its kind, attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the biggest threat to not only law enforcement, but the United States as a whole.

• Understanding the various extremist belief systems and extremist subsets, and tell-tale signs of their presence in an area
• Recognize Sovereign Citizen ideology and best practices for sovereign citizen related activity
• A deeper understanding of prevalent conspiracies and how the internet, specifically social media and messaging apps, play a crucial role in spreading
• What law enforcement can do to help combat these ideologies, from a Local to Federal level
• Understand the fine line where First Amendment/Freedom of Speech ends and Extremism/Radicalization begins