ISRAEL: U.S. police chiefs in Israel for 9/11

September 12, 2008 | 8:05 am

More than a dozen police chiefs from major American cities are on a professional visit to Israel. The weeklong learning program is intended to introduce the U.S. law enforcement officers to their Israeli counterparts and demonstrate techniques in security, counterterrorism and emergency response.

Abe Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, which organized this latest mission in its series of counterterrorism seminars, says that "the lesson of 9/11 is that we can never let down our guard, and that police and others in the law enforcement community must have the tools of the trade and the knowledge of what strategies are available out there to help deter the threat of terrorism."

During their stay, which overlapped with the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the visiting officers observed diverse techniques used in Israel to safeguard its citizens' security, including surveillance of public spaces and security procedures at the country's borders.

— Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem

Photos: Visiting police chiefs observe and discuss a training exercise with an Israeli police counterterrorism SWAT team in Holon, Israel. Credit: Anti-Defamation League

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