NCJ Number
203382
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2003 Pages: 24-25
Date Published
November 2003
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes the counterterrorism training received by a group of New York law enforcement officers in Israel.
Abstract
Israel lives under the constant, and very real, threat of terrorism on a daily basis. As such, Rockland County, New York Sheriff James Kralik led a group of 11 law enforcement officers to Israel to learn counterterrorism tactics from the Israeli National Police. The United States police received lessons on automatic firearms, bomb and explosive devise disposal and disarming, techniques for detecting and disarming terrorists, and personal defense tactics. Officers were taken to the Azrieli Center Towers, a huge shopping complex in Israel, in order to learn how to protect large, populated buildings and shopping areas from terrorist attacks. One important lesson taken from Israel is that no person is given immunity from searches. Another important lesson learned is the crucial importance of having a seamless intelligence system that reaches from military intelligence to police to citizens. In Israel, the survival of the population depends upon citizen cooperation with police; in the United States, such cooperation is also becoming crucial to protect against future terrorist threats.