NEW YORK, NY June 12, 2006 —A survey of Arab-American communities has found residents fear being victimized more by federal policies and practices, than they fear being targeted for hate crimes. Nicole Henderson, a research assistant with the Vera Institute of Justice, says the institute studied 16 Arab American communities and their post-Nine Eleven relationship with local police.

HENDERSON: "The people who participated were quite clear about the difference between local police and federal law enforcement. And this contrasts with past research which shows that immigrant communities sometime have a difficult time distinguishing between local and federal agencies."

Henderson says most communities say they've experienced a fair amount of goodwill from local police.