The similarities that distinguish the London Metropolitan Police and the New York Police Department from many other cities are their international expansion and the global scope in which this has occurred. In both cases this expansion has been a reaction to the violence perpetrated in the two cities by international terrorists linked to Salafi Jihadism represented in the ideology and tactics of al Qaeda. Both cities have realized that countering this global threat requires a global reach and response. The police in both cities have stationed officers in areas of the world where even U.S. Federal law enforcement agencies have had a minimal presence, notably Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Both departments have stationed liaison officers in these countries as well as in countries of the Middle East. These are areas where al Qaeda and its affiliates have operated with significant logistical and financial support. The differences in the international liaison programs of the two cities lie in how the programs developed, are funded and administered, as well as the responsibilities they have beyond the municipality they serve. There are a number of potential impacts from these efforts designed to serve the security interests of municipal police. These include the expansion of this counterterrorist strategy to smaller cities; possible conflicts and difficulties in balancing and coordinating Federal (country) counterterrorism strategies and international operations with municipal objectives; and the management of the fundamental changes in the policing patterns of the cities that adopt an international scope for their public safety mission. 40 notes