When Fox News starts to question the wisdom of current FBI strategy dealing with potential terrorists, it's time for the country to listen. Civil rights advocates, right-wing anti-government zealots and assorted leftists have long complained about FBI tactics when it comes to political dissidents. The arrest of Alexander Ciccolo on July 4 seems to have awakened Fox. Can the rest of the nation be far behind?
Ciccolo, the 23-year-old son of a longtime Boston police captain, was one of the dozen or so "terrorists" arrested in the weeks leading up to July 4. FBI Director James Comey proudly announced their arrests at the bureau's headquarters a few days later. He claimed that the action of his bureau had prevented several Independence Day attacks and had saved lives.
The Ciccolo case is typical in many respects, although it differs from the others in one significant way. Last fall the young man's police officer father informed the FBI that his mentally ill son was increasingly captivated by ISIS propaganda. Instead of picking him up for a serious talk about where that would eventually lead him, the FBI began to monitor his activities. An informant recorded Ciccolo's pro-ISIS comments for the agency. When Ciccolo bought a gun, he was arrested for violating a law that prohibits someone convicted of a drug arrest from owning one.
Arrests, trials and convictions are more exciting, newsworthy, and justification for promotions and bigger budgets than quietly warning potential terrorists that their conduct could lead to long prison terms. But that warning would have been a lot cheaper for the government and would have saved many young people, like Ciccolo, from the ruin they now face.
Ralph E. Shaffer is professor emeritus of history at Cal Poly Pomona.