Continuing a tradition of mutual respect, Rome and Floyd County police departments welcomed a delegation of top Israeli police officials at the Law Enforcement Center Wednesday morning.
The visit was part of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program, which partners Israeli police departments with police departments in Georgia for peer-to-peer experiential training.
The GILEE program was founded by Dr. Robert Friedman, who was in attendance along with Associate Director Col. (Ret.) Gery Cummings and Assistant Director Nadia Borissova.
Rome Police Chief Denise Downer-McKinney greeted the delegation, and the introduction was followed by short welcomes from Mayor Sundai Stevenson, City Manager Sammy Rich, County Commission Chair Wright Bagby and County Manager Jamie McCord.
Credit: Adam Carey
Credit: Adam Carey
Other city and county commissioners were also present, including Commissioners Bonny Askew, Bill Collins and Randy Quick.
Chief Downer-McKinney said Rome was honored to receive the delegation, and made note of how many members of the Rome and Floyd County police departments have traveled to Israel and trained with the Israeli police forces.
She’s had special training there, as has Floyd County Police Chief Mark Wallace, RPD Assistant Chief Debbie Burnett and RPD Capt. Chris DeHart.
Structurally, the Israeli Police Department is a single organization, covering the entire country. It responds to everything, including fires, earthquakes and terrorism as well as regular police matters.
After the coffee and introductions, the delegation went outside the Law Enforcement Center to review various Rome police equipment and vehicles. The delegation is visiting other cities on the East Coast before returning to Israel.
The mission of GILEE is to shape police executive leadership development through global engagement by investing in an exceptional peer-to-peer experiential learning environment. GILEE enhances public safety by sharing best practices of homeland security and community policing with emphasis on the protection of civil rights and liberties.
Credit: Rome News-Tribune
Credit: Rome News-Tribune
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