|
10/02/03
 On
October 2, top state, county, and municipal law enforcement
leaders met at FBI Headquarters to discuss and make recommendations
to Director Mueller on training provided by the FBI to law
enforcement in the post-9/11 environment.
Who
attended? Dan Rosenblatt, Executive Director of the International
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Sheriff Kevin Beary
of Florida's Orange County and President of the Major County
Sheriff's Association. Police Chief Scott Finlayson, Springfield,
Utah, and President of the State Association of Chiefs of
Police. Chief Harold Hurtt, Phoenix, Arizona, and President
of Major City Chiefs. Chief Robert Olson, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
and President of the Police Executive Research Forum. Sheriff
Ken Ramsey, Kane County Illinois, and 1st Vice President of
the FBI National Academy Associates. Colonel Gary Adams, Chief
of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Chairman of the Southern
Region of the IACP State and Provisional Police Division.
Sheriff Aaron Kennard, Salt Lake County, Utah, and 1st Vice
President of the National Sheriff's Association. Chief John
McGowan, East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, and President
of the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association.
And leadership from the Department of Justice and the FBI
Training Academy and Law Enforcement Services.
FBI
Assistant Director of Law Enforcement Coordination Lou Quijas
(and former Chief of Police in High Point, North Carolina)
is the chairman of these meetings of the Director's Law Enforcement
Advisory Group. He notes that this group has grappled specifically
with information sharing, security clearance, and threat assessment
issues, and that its efforts have been crucial to better protecting
Americans and American streets.
How
crucial? They have helped expedite the process of obtaining
security clearances for law enforcement officers who need
access to sensitive information so they know what threats
to look for in their communities. They have helped secure
technology solutions to ensure instant threat and information
sharing. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Director
Mueller has put the crucial nature of these partnerships this
way: "Terrorist threats against the nation have created
a new era in the relationship between the FBI and local police.
You are the first lines of defense against danger. ...No one
agency can handle these complex, sophisticated threats alone.
...we in the FBI are proud to be your partners."
|
