American law enforcement learns anti-terror tactics from Israeli experts

The 15-member delegation of law enforcement executives from the United States are in Israel as part of an Anti-Defamation League National Counter-Terrorism Seminar.

By BEN HARTMAN
Updated: SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 03:36
American law-enforcment delegates stand next to their Israeli counterparts at Israel's National Police Academy (photo credit: BEN HARTMAN)
American law-enforcment delegates stand next to their Israeli counterparts at Israel's National Police Academy
(photo credit: BEN HARTMAN)
Fifteen officials from US security agencies and police departments are in Israel this week to study counterterrorism strategies and compare tactics with their Israeli counterparts.
The visitors’ goal is “to learn lessons from Israel in terms of tactics and strategies and the evolution of terrorism, but also examples of leadership,” David C. Friedman, the Anti-Defamation League’s Washington, DC, regional director and director of national law enforcement initiatives, said on Wednesday.
In some regards, the Israel Police can serve as a model for law enforcement agencies in the United States and elsewhere, Friedman said.
The meetings also serve to build bridges “between law enforcement agencies in two democracies,” and officers who take part in visits of this sort “come back and they are Zionists. They understand Israel and its security needs in ways a lot of audiences don’t,” he said.
The delegation is in Israel as part of an Anti-Defamation League National Counter-Terrorism Seminar taking place on September 5-13.
The ADL said this week that during the trip – the 13th of its type it has organized – the participants are scheduled to meet with security experts and Israel Police commanders “to learn about effective methods of terror attack prevention and response,” as well as border and airport security, maintaining safety and access to holy sites, cyber-security and media relations.
The ADL said this year’s participants include executives from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the US Marshals Service, the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and officers from the police departments of Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin, Seattle, Oakland and Miami-Dade.
Vincent Talucci, the executive director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said he believes the visitors can learn from Israelis in particular in the fields of cyber terrorism, and that “our goal is to find examples of great policing practices abroad.”