Law enforcement officers always face particular problems when dealing with extremists. They must make sure they do not infringe on the First Amendment rights of people who have unpopular political or social views but who have not committed any crimes. At the same time, they must recognize that people who have extreme views are sometimes motivated by those views to commit criminal acts.

In these instances, law enforcement officers will find that not only must they protect the community from criminal acts committed by extremists, but they must make sure as well that they protect themselves, because officers are themselves often the targets of extremist criminals. Thus officers need to be able to recognize when they are in potentially dangerous situations involving extremists and how to deal with such situations or at least extricate themselves from them.

If law enforcement officers are to uphold their oath to "protect and serve," they must be able to protect themselves as well.