Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, Federal, State, and local governments have increasingly moved toward establishing Homeland Security as an institutional response to both the threat of future terrorist attacks and as a means of preparing and responding to natural disasters. However, to date, research in the area of policing and homeland security has been lacking. This special issue consists of a collection of scholarly articles on policing and homeland security to establish an agenda for future research. The intent is to provide policymakers with information for more informed decisions, as well as to open up further research into the rhetoric and reality of the police role in homeland security. The issue consists of six articles with the first dealing with the fact that local law enforcement agencies are expected to be key players in homeland security, however with little guidance. The second article surveys more than 500 Illinois law enforcement agencies examining the area of vulnerability, preparedness, and organizational capacity to implement homeland security reforms. The third article surveyed police chiefs in Texas on their adoption of homeland security practices. In the fourth article, the authors present a solid definition for Intelligence Led Policing (ILP) and discuss the relationship between ILP and community policing. The final two articles attempt to address the civil liberties side of the police and homeland security question, with one focusing on racial profiling at airports and the other looking at criminal and terrorist profiling, comparing law enforcement views with student views. References