[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10872]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 12, 2006

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Law 
Enforcement Exchange Program, sponsored by the Jewish Institute for 
National Security Affairs. I am proud to recognize this organization 
for its progress in better training law enforcement officials in the 
prevention of and response to terrorist attacks.
  Since the events of September 11, 2001, the prevention of and 
response to terrorism have become important aspects of law enforcement 
training. While American law enforcement officials have been a vital 
asset in the war on terrorism, they require more training in order to 
become more effective in their fight to prevent terrorist attacks at 
home.
  Because they have had many years of experience and have developed 
specialized skills in dealing with all aspects of terrorism, the Israel 
National Police are considered the number one police force worldwide in 
prevention of and response to terrorist attacks. In 2002, the Jewish 
Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) created the Law 
Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP) in coordination with the Israel 
National Police and other Israeli agencies to help improve the training 
for American law enforcement officers in the counter-terrorism realm. 
The program consists of three core aspects: a trip to Israel for 
selected high-ranking law enforcement officials to learn first-hand 
Israeli police tactics; conferences held in the United States to reach 
a broader law enforcement audience; and finally, a process of 
dissemination, in which the practices learned are extended throughout 
the law enforcement community to those unable to attend conferences. 
This three-part program will provide immediately useful information to 
law enforcement officials nationwide.
  I am pleased to say that one such conference will be held in Las 
Vegas, Nevada. A reception recognizing the program will be held on June 
11, 2006 at the Bellagio Hotel, and I am honored to recognize a few of 
the distinguished guests of this event. The current Vice President of 
JINSA, David Justman, will offer the welcoming remarks. Steve 
Pomerantz, former Assistant Director of the FBI, now serves as the 
Director of counter-terrorism for JINSA. In 2004, Yoram Hessel retired 
as Director of the Global Operations, Intelligence, and Foreign 
Relations Division of the Mossad, after holding the position for 4 
years. ``Rolli'' is currently a Senior Officer of the Israel Security 
Agency, a department for which he has dutifully served 15 years. 
Assistant Sheriff Rod Jett of the Las Vegas Police Department, a Las 
Vegas native and distinguished law enforcement official, will share 
with us his experiences in the 2005 LEEP program and how he believes 
the conference will benefit the Las Vegas community. These fine men 
have all contributed immensely to this important issue and I am glad to 
have the privilege of speaking along side of them.
  I rise to acknowledge the hard work of these individuals and all who 
have participated in making LEEP a vital component of law enforcement 
training across America in the difficult fight against terrorism.

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