U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after a meeting in Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday, September 10. Kerry is traveling to the Mideast this week to discuss ways to bolster the stability of the new Iraqi government and combat the ISIS militant group that has taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria. 
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9. 
A Kurdish fighter eyes ISIS positions outside Makhmour, Iraq, on Saturday, September 6. 
Iraqis on Friday, September 5, exhume bodies from a mass grave found after Kurdish forces and Shiite militiamen retook the Iraqi town of Sulaiman Bek. 
Iraqi Shiite militia fighters fire a rocket toward ISIS positions outside Tikrit, Iraq, on Wednesday, September 3. 
An Iraqi fighter jet flies over Amerli, Iraq, on September 3. Iraqi forces recently broke the siege of Amerli from ISIS fighters. 
Iraqi volunteer fighters on Monday, September 1, celebrate breaking the Amerli siege. ISIS militants had surrounded Amerli, 70 miles north of Baquba, Iraq, since mid-June. 
Iraqi Shiite Turkmen, mostly women and children, try to board an Iraqi Army helicopter bringing supplies to Amerli on Saturday, August 30. 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard at their position in the Omar Khaled village west of Mosul on Sunday, August 24. 
Kurdish Peshmergas fight to regain control of the town of Celavle, in Iraq's Diyala province, on August 24. 
Peshmerga fighters stand guard at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq on Thursday, August 21. With the help of U.S. military airstrikes, Kurdish and Iraqi forces retook the dam from ISIS militants on August 18. A breach of the dam would have been catastrophic for millions of Iraqis who live downstream from it. 
Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19. 
A woman holds her sister during a sandstorm at a refugee camp in Feeshkhabour on August 19. 
A fighter with Kurdish Peshmerga forces battles ISIS militants near Mosul on Monday, August 18. 
A Shiite fighter defends a post while backing the Iraqi army in its fight against ISIS militants south of Baghdad on August 18. 
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter patrols near the Mosul Dam in Chamibarakat, Iraq, on Sunday, August 17. 
Smoke rises after a U.S. airstrike near the Mosul Dam on August 17. 
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter prepares his weapon August 17 at a combat position near the Mosul Dam. 
Trucks carrying Kurdish Peshmerga fighters head to the Mosul Dam on August 17. 
From a position manned by the Kurdish Peshmerga south of Kirkuk, Iraq, Kirkuk Gov. Najm al-Din Omar looks through binoculars toward Islamist jihadist positions on August 17. 
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand behind a sand barricade set up close to the village of Bashir, Iraq, on August 17. 
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS in Khazair, Iraq, on Thursday, August 14. 
Volunteers of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society unload boxes of goods before distributing them August 14 to families who fled from ISIS. 
Displaced Iraqis of the Yazidi faith reach for bottled water at the Bajid Kandala refugee camp in Iraq's Dohuk province on Wednesday, August 13. 
A Yazidi woman and children take shelter inside a tent at the Bajid Kandala camp on August 13. 
From the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush, which is in the Persian Gulf, two U.S. fighter jets take off for a mission in Iraq on Monday, August 11. U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized airstrikes against Islamic militants and food drops for Iraqis who are trapped by the militants. 
Displaced Iraqis of the Yazidi faith cross the Syria-Iraq border on Sunday, August 10. 
Iraqi soldiers fan out into a field in Jurf al Sakhr, Iraq, on August 10 after they reportedly pushed back Islamic jihadist fighters from the area. 
An Iraqi man inspects the debris of houses in Falluja, Iraq, after an apparent air raid by the Iraqi Air Force on August 10. 
An F/A-18C Hornet lands on the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush on August 10. 
An Iraqi Yazidi child, whose family fled their home a week ago when ISIS militants attacked their town, looks on at a makeshift shelter August 10 in Dohuk, which is in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. 
Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle outside the Bajid Kandala camp on Saturday, August 9. 
Displaced Iraqis ride on a truck on a mountain road near the Turkish-Iraq border, outside Dahuk, on August 9. 
Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People's Protection Unit in Mosul on August 9. 
Humanitarian aid for Iraq is loaded onto an aircraft in Norton, England, on Friday, August 8. 
Pallets of bottled water are loaded aboard a U.S. Air Force aircraft in preparation for a humanitarian airdrop over Iraq on August 8. 
Smoke rises after airstrikes targeted ISIS militants outside the Iraqi city of Irbil on Friday, August 8. 
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters take position on the front line on August 8. 
Displaced Iraqi Christians settle at St. Joseph Church in Irbil on Thursday, August 7. 
Iraqi Shiite volunteers who have joined government forces to fight ISIS take part in a training session near Basra, Iraq, on August 7. 
Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances. 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces and members of the Syrian People's Protection Units engage ISIS members in the Mahmudiye village of Mosul on Tuesday, August 5. 
Yazidi women who fled violence in Sinjar, Iraq, take shelter at a school in Dohuk on August 5. 
People in Mosul walk on the rubble of the destroyed Mosque of The Prophet Yunus, which is Arabic for Jonah, on Thursday, July 24. 
An Iraqi child walks through a displacement camp Saturday, June 28, in Khazair, Iraq. 
An Iraqi woman walks with her child outside of a displacement camp June 28 in Khazair. 
Peshmerga fighters check cars at the entrance of a temporary displacement camp in Khazair on Thursday, June 26. 
A group of women wait outside the temporary displacement camp in Khazair on June 26. 
Smoke rises in the Karakus district of Mosul as clashes between Iraqi forces and ISIS militants take place on June 26. 
Food is handed out at the displacement camp in Khazair. 
A child walks over discarded water bottles and trash at a registration area in the displacement camp in Khazair on June 26. 
Kurdish Peshmerga take their positions behind a wall on the front line of the conflict with ISIS militants in Tuz Khormato, Iraq, on Wednesday, June 25. 
Peshmerga fighters clean their weapons at a base in Tuz Khormato on June 25. 
Female Peshmerga between 18 and 45 years old form a special unit that is called to serve in any conditions. A soldier is pictured here on June 25. 
A woman gathers bread in a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis on Tuesday, June 24. 
An ISIS fighter takes control of a traffic intersection in Mosul on Sunday, June 22. 
An ISIS member distributes a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, to a driver in Mosul on June 22. 
Members of ISIS patrol in Falluja on Saturday, June 21. 
"Peace Brigade" volunteers raise their weapons and chant slogans during a parade in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City on Saturday, June 21, in Baghdad. The armed group was formed to protect Shiite holy shrines against possible attacks by Sunni militants. 
Iraqi men register to fight alongside security forces Friday, June 20, at a recruitment center in Baghdad. 
New army recruits gather in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, June 18, following a call for Iraqis to take up arms against Islamic militant fighters. 
Soldiers with an Iraqi anti-terrorism unit are on guard June 18 in Baghdad. 
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter injured in clashes with ISIS lies in a hospital in Irbil on June 18. 
An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, June 17. 
Newly recruited Iraqi volunteer fighters take part in a training session in Karbala, Iraq, on June 17. 
Iraqi tribesmen gather in Baghdad on Monday, June 16, to show their readiness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Islamic militants. 
Iraqi Christian children gather inside the Church of the Virgin Mary for prayers in Bartala, Iraq, a town near Mosul, on Sunday, June 15. 
Shiite tribal fighters raise their weapons and chant slogans against ISIS in Basra on June 15. 
Members of ISIS prepare to execute some soldiers from Iraq's security forces in this image, one of many reportedly posted by the militant group online. CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the images. 
A woman cradles her baby Thursday, June 12, at a temporary camp set up in Aski Kalak, Iraq, to shelter those fleeing the violence in northern Nineveh province. 
A girl fleeing from Mosul arrives at a Kurdish checkpoint on June 12. 
Iraqi men chant slogans outside of an army recruiting center to volunteer for military service June 12 in Baghdad. 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces, along with Iraqi special forces, deploy their troops and armored vehicles outside of Kirkuk on June 12. 
Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10. 
Civilians from Mosul escape to a refugee camp near Irbil on June 10. 
Iraqis fleeing the violence wait in their vehicles at a Kurdish checkpoint in Aski Kalak on June 10.
- ISIS is encouraging Americans to join its cause to take up arms in Syria and Iraq
- Stevan Weine: We must find ways to prevent this threat from taking root in our communities
- He says the key is to stop young people from acquiring radicalized beliefs
- Weine: Communities in the U.S. are partnering with Muslim groups to promote public safety
Editor's note: Stevan Weine is professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Justice, he conducts research on countering violent extremism. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- Through English-language propaganda and a vibrant social media presence, ISIS is actively encouraging young Americans to join its cause to take up arms in Syria and Iraq. Some Americans have joined the militant group, according to officials. Intelligence officials fear the number will grow higher since ISIS has been successful with recruitment in some European countries.
Americans need to wake up to the frightening reality of this threat taking root in our communities.
While President Barack Obama searches for a strategy to confront ISIS in Syria and Iraq, federal, state and local governmental organizations (including law enforcement agencies) and communities are already working together to confront the problem with this group now calling itself the Islamic State.
The situation of young people acquiring radicalized beliefs without yet committing crimes is worrisome. The question is: How do we prevent violent ideologies from taking hold of people in the first place, and how to intervene and dissuade them from crossing the line towards actual violence?
The term used to describe this effort is "countering violent extremism," or CVE. Similar to community-oriented policing methods, CVE focuses on engagement and partnership with communities. CVE stems from the White House's national security strategy and has the active support of multiple federal agencies, but it is highly dependent on cities, counties and states to devise solutions.
Consider what is happening in Los Angeles.
In 2008, the Los Angeles Police Department established a Liaison Section of its Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau. Its mission is "to improve the quality of life and public safety within diverse communities by building mutual partnerships and trust through coordination and collaboration of all department entities, government stakeholders, public/private/faith-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations with local communities."
For example, the LAPD began holding a quarterly Muslim Forum. Each forum is held in a mosque and hosts about two dozen representatives from Muslim organizations throughout the greater Los Angeles area where they join for dialogues.
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Obama must go 'all-in' against ISIS Police officers and Muslim-American community advocates in Los Angeles believe that the program has been successful. They report that the LAPD has been able to engage multiple, key organizations and leaders in the communities and to form partnerships that build trust, challenge misinformation, educate people, promote transparency, defuse conflicts, open communication channels and solve daily problems.
Community advocates said they are being regarded as part of the solution, not part of the problem. Deputy Chief Michael Downing, the commanding officer of the Liaison Section, stipulates that law enforcement-community partnerships are essential to the objective of "making the environment hostile to violent extremism."
One of the department's key partners is the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), whose director, Salam Marayati, believes that law enforcement and community leaders must play distinct roles in the collaborative fight against violent extremism. He sees prevention as primarily the responsibility of communities, and many community members readily agree.
MPAC is rolling out "Safe Spaces," an innovative community-led CVE initiative in mosques across the United States.
Safe Spaces aims to increase Muslim-American communities' resilience against violent extremism through community-led prevention and intervention activities.
Safe Spaces works in part through getting families and communities to talk together about difficult topics. It tells parents about the threats of recruitment and radicalization to violence. According to its facilitator's guide, "We're not sharing this story to scare you; only to highlight the serious need for communities to build healthy and safe spaces." The initiative teaches helpful strategies to increase parental involvement and supportive adult mentorship for youth.
Another key component of Safe Spaces is helping communities form "crisis inquiry teams" that can identify individuals believed to be at risk of engaging in violent beliefs and help them turn away from that path. Communities learn that if those efforts fail, and the risk of violent behavior becomes real, then they are obligated to notify law enforcement.
Across the United States, new strategies are being developed. In Montgomery Country, Maryland, the effort is not being led by the police but rather through a public-private partnership involving the faith-based community and law enforcement. In Dearborn, Michigan, initiatives aim to promote public safety without singling out terrorism or any one ethnic community.
What most efforts have in common is establishing innovative public-private partnerships that increase mutual trust, build capacities, strengthen resilience and then develop and evaluate community-delivered prevention and intervention activities.
Most communities don't have such experiences, so there is a need for expanding training and technical assistance that draws on community policing practices and on the lessons learned from implementing programs such as Safe Spaces.
With the growing threat of recruitment to ISIS, the U.S. government needs to build on the successes in these and other cities, as well learn from the successes of countries such as Australia, Canada and Britain.
We have to figure out how to increase knowledge of CVE strategies; how to accelerate implementation efforts throughout the United States; and how to measure the relative effectiveness of different CVE initiatives.
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