(RNS) Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca created a Muslim Community Affairs Unit in 2007 — a move that has led critics to accuse him of coddling extremism sympathizers.

When former Rep. Mark Souder criticized Baca’s relationship with the Council of American-Islamic Relations at a homeland security hearing last year, Baca shot back that Souder was “un-American.”

Baca will be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday (March 10) to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee to refute charges by committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., that American Muslims do not want to cooperate with law enforcement.

Q: What’s the philosophy behind the Muslim community outreach efforts?

A: Police need all the help they can get. When you have deputy sheriffs who are Muslims, and the Muslim community can identify with them, then it makes the Muslim community feel protected.

Q: What progress have the community outreach efforts achieved so far?

A: The Muslim community trusts the sheriff’s department. Successful law enforcement requires that the public trust law enforcement. And you’re not going to get the public’s trust if you’re not going to trust the public.

Q: Congressman King asserts that Muslims don’t cooperate with law enforcement. What’s your assessment?

A: In terms of thwarting terrorist plots, there’s been substantial cooperation by the Muslim community. I think Congressman King was told by a few retired police officers that that was the experience that they had. I appreciate the help that the Muslim American community gives the Sheriff’s Department, and the Sheriff’s Department has always been welcomed by the various groups that are there.

The persons who are most likely to call for help are family members. By having good relationships, Muslim families are more inclined to call about a family member that is leaning towards extremism.

Q: Are there conscious efforts to recruit Muslim police officers?

A: Yes. I recruit Muslims into the Sheriff’s Department, both in the regular force and the reserves. The Sheriff’s Department has been fortunate; because of the relationships it has built with various Muslim groups, and as a result more and more Muslims are interested in law enforcement.

Q: The FBI broke off contact with the Council of American-Islamic Relations last year, while you’ve stayed in touch. Why are you right and the FBI wrong on this?

A: It would be like saying, “We found an extremist in Los Angeles and no one told us about him, so we’re going to cut ourselves off from the entire Muslim society.” You can’t do that at a local law enforcement level. If there’s a problem with crime-plotting, you have to get closer to the environment, not further. And if they think CAIR is out cavorting with extremists, then it behooves them to be more involved with CAIR.

Q: Do you see these community outreach efforts spreading to other police departments?

A: Yes. The Department of Homeland Security has embraced this strategy. It’s a local law enforcement mandate. We can’t cut ourselves off from the people that we police. We are there with them 24/7.