|
The defense of New York City requires the NYPD to reach out for information and gain perspective from sources around the globe.
Under the leadership of Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, the NYPD has created a uniquely skilled counterterrorist team and established initiatives of unparalleled vision. At the core is the International Liaison Program (ILP), which assigns NYPD detectives to work with local, national and international law enforcement agencies in London, Paris, Madrid, Lyon, Tel Aviv, Amman, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Toronto, Montreal and Santo Domingo.
These liaisons are the eyes and ears of the NYPD gathering pertinent information on a daily basis and performing on-the-ground analysis that is relevant to making New York City safe.
"Most anywhere there has been a major terrorist attack in the last four years there has been a senior officer from the NYPD at the scene assembling lessons learned for New York... this is the type of measurable return on investment the Police Foundation is providing the people of this city."
- Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly
For example, NYPD liaisons arrived in Mumbai, India within a day of the commando attacks. Information gathered at the scene was immediately incorporated into all NYPD counterterrorism operations and served as the basis for a new response strategy for multiple attacks, and a training program for heavy weapons.
Similar teams have been at terrorist crime scenes in Madrid, Istanbul, Amman, and London. In each case, information gleaned by these officers was used to restructure training, refresh response strategies, and inform other agencies of potential targets.
The ILP offers an outstanding model of how public-private collaborations can impact public safety. The City of New York underwrites the personnel costs of the officers. The New York City Police Foundation, through contributions from its business, individual and philanthropic partners provides essential travel, lodging, and office expenses that fall outside the city's budgetary lines.
The Police Foundation seeks to raise $1,500,000 to support the International Liaison program in 2010.
|