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<a href="http://www.jinsa.org/articles/print.html/documentid/2377" eudora="autourl">http://www.jinsa.org/articles/print.html/documentid/2377</a><x-html><br><br>
</font><font size=4><i>JINSA Online</i>, February 09,
2004</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=5>Top Cops Return From JINSA-Sponsored Anti-Terror
Study In Israel</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=4><b><i>Officials laud benefits of resource sharing for
deterring terrorism <br><br>
</i></b></font><font size=3>Fourteen of the most senior police chiefs,
sheriffs and state police commanders returned from Israel last week after
five days of intensively studying counter terrorism techniques. These law
enforcement executives traveled to Israel on January 24 and returned
January 30, 2004. They went as participants in JINSA's Law Enforcement
Exchange Program (LEEP). Modeled after the JINSA's extremely successful
Flag & General Officers Trip, the LEEP program is designed to
establish cooperation between American and Israeli law enforcement
personnel and to give the American law enforcement community access to
the hard "lessons learned" by the Israelis in the interdiction
of and response to all forms of terrorism. <br><br>
The Israeli National Police hosted the Americans with participation by
the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency.
<br><br>
The delegation studied methods and observed techniques used by Israeli
police forces in preventing and reacting to suicide bombers, and joined
Israeli police on a nighttime patrol of Tel Aviv. The agenda also focused
on the critical role of intelligence gathering and interagency
information sharing. <br><br>
At several seminars, Israeli commanders of bomb disposal and undercover
units briefed the delegation on the increasing sophistication of domestic
terrorists, who can employ a range of weapons, from knives and guns, to
car bombs or cell phones outfitted with explosives. American officials
learned about the mindset of a suicide bomber and how to spot trouble
signs. One of the highlights of the intensive five-day schedule was a
nighttime patrol with the Tel Aviv Police. <br><br>
Israeli experts also discussed how to secure large venues, such as
shopping malls, sporting events and concerts, without disrupting the
enjoyment of the public. <br><br>
The group also took time to look at the Security Fence as a defensive
measure to lessen the possibility of terrorist infiltration. The saw
where the fence has already been constructed as well as planned future
sights. The consensus of the group was that in light of prior Israeli
casualties the fence has saved lives. <br><br>
Steven Pomerantz, a former Assistant Director of the FBI and a member of
JINSA's Board of Advisors, led in the planning and execution of the trip
on the American side. In summing up the goals of the LEEP project he
noted, "Nothing can replicate American officials seeing these types
of problems firsthand and the systems that are put in place to deal with
them." <br><br>
This is the second time JINSA has organized a delegation of U.S. law
enforcement officials to learn from their Israeli counterparts. Called
the Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP), JINSA hopes to undertake the
trip annually, each time with a new group of officers. <br><br>
Participants were invited through a process that considered geographic
region, their involvement in national professional policing organizations
and their professional responsibilities in the fight against terrorism.
For example, in addition to serving as chief of his department, Chief
Joseph Polisar is the current president of the International Chiefs of
Police (IACP), the largest international police organization in the
world. All other major American law enforcement organizations were
represented on the trip including the Major Cities Chiefs Association,
Major Counties Sheriffs Association and the Police Executive Research
Forum. <br><br>
Participants in the program included: Chief Joseph Carter, Massachusetts
Bay Transportation Authority; Col. Richard Fuentes, New Jersey State
Police; Sheriff Patrick Gallivan, Erie County (N.Y.) [encompassing
Buffalo, NY]; William Gore, Special Adviser and Chief of Investigations
for the San Diego County (Calif.) District Attorney; Commander Cathy
Lanier, commanding officer of the Special Operations Division of the
Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.); Sheriff Patrick
McGowan, Hennepin County (Minn.)[encompassing Minneapolis]; Col. Jeffrey
Miller, Pennsylvania State Police; Bureau Chief John Miller, Los Angeles
Police Department's Critical Incident Management Bureau; Sheriff Jim
Pendergraph, Mecklenburg County (N. Car.) [encompassing Charlotte]; Chief
Joseph Polisar, Garden Grove (Calif.) Police Department; First Deputy
Superintendent Dana Starks, Chicago Police Department; Deputy Chief Larry
Thompson, Chief of Uniformed Services, United State Capitol Police; and
Chief Maryanne Viverette, Gaithersburg (Md.) Police Department.
<br><br>
"The Israeli experience with domestic terrorism is so vast. Every
Israeli official we met with was anxious for the Americans to learn from
their tragic experience," related Marsha Halteman, director of
corporate and community projects at JINSA and who accompanied the
delegation to Israel. "It's such a tiny country, with a national
police force smaller than that of most major cities in America. The
Israelis were eager to take the time and resources to share their
experiences with the group which we hope will ultimately save American
lives should our law enforcement community ever find themselves in the
same position again. As far as the interdiction of terrorism is
concerned, it already has." <br><br>
<br>
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