|
Canton Police Chief Berkowitz
gets firsthand look at Israeli counter-terrorism tactics
By Jeffrey Pickette
Citizen Staff
Ken
Berkowitz’s behind-the-scenes look at Israeli counter-terrorism
strategies during his week-long trip to Israel in November was
an eye-opening experience for the Canton police chief, to say
the least.
While Canton
is fortunately not faced with having to defend itself against a
multitude of terrorist attacks, Berkowitz felt there was a lot
to be learned from interacting with Israeli law enforcement and
counter-terrorism experts.
 |
| Police Chief
Ken Berkowitz with an Israeli soldier on the West
Bank |
The Canton
public works, fire and police departments were lauded for their
response to the train accident at Canton Junction last March,
but Berkowitz still took note of how Israeli officials managed
“crisis events.”
“What
difference would it make to a police department whether you were
responding to a terrorist attack or a train crash?” Berkowitz
asked. “It was good to see how they were able to manage critical
incidents.”
Berkowitz was
one of 15 senior law enforcement officials from the Northeast
selected to travel to Israel as part of a program sponsored by
the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). These 15 officers spent the
week interacting with and learning from their Israeli
counterparts.
“It gave me a
much better understanding of the complex problems facing the
Middle East and it also gave me a real good overview of some of
the latest technology that’s available for fighting terrorism,”
Berkowitz said.
The officers
followed a jam-packed schedule that included activities and
briefings from 7 in the morning to 11 at night.
The first
half-day was spent touring Ben Gurion International Airport in
Tel Aviv, which services all of the incoming international
flights bound for Israel, according to Berkowitz. As a result,
he coined it the equivalent to the “gateway to Israel” and
considers it to be the “safest airport in the world.”
The officers
met with airport officials and observed the passenger screening
process as well as the technology used to detect weapons or
other banned objects.
From there,
the group saw how Israel protects its Jewish, Christian and
Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, observed operations at the
Israeli boarder with Syria and Lebanon, and visited towns near
the Gaza Strip that were the site of recent Hamas missile
attacks.
Berkowitz was
particularly struck by a visit to Ashkelon, an Israeli city near
the Gaza strip.
“Ashkelon in a
lot of ways reminded me of a big Canton,” Berkowitz said. “It
was a middle class community with not a huge crime problem.”
Berkowitz
spoke with the police chief in Ashkelon about the similarities
between Canton and the Israeli city and the two shared concerns
in dealing with juvenile drug use, domestic violence and drunk
driving, among other issues.
However, the
similarities ended there. At the time of Berkowitz’s trip to
Israel, Ashkelon had endured 568 rocket attacks this year; and
with tensions escalating within the last week between Israel and
Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Berkowitz estimates that Ashkelon dealt
with nearly 100 additional rocket attacks since Christmas
Eve.
Even with the
constant threat of violence, Berkowitz got a sense that most of
the people there — Israelis and Arabs alike — wanted a peaceful
resolution to the ongoing dispute.
“The majority
of people over there want to be in peace and it just seems like
a small minority is keeping the war and the hatred going,” he
said.
Of the 15
participants in the program, five were from Massachusetts:
Berkowitz; Mark Morelli of the Boston FBI; Cambridge Police
Commissioner Robert Haas; Major Frank Matthews of the
Massachusetts State Police; and Lieutenant Stephen Ahearn of the
Cambridge Police Department.
“It’s always
nice to have a relationship with the law enforcement people in
the area and have their support and work with them,” Berkowitz
said.
After
reflecting on his week in Israel, Berkowitz acknowledged how
fortunate the United States is compared to other countries.
Ken
Berkowitz’s behind-the-scenes look at Israeli counter-terrorism
strategies during his week-long trip to Israel in November was
an eye-opening experience for the Canton police chief, to say
the least.
While Canton
is fortunately not faced with having to defend itself against a
multitude of terrorist attacks, Berkowitz felt there was a lot
to be learned from interacting with Israeli law enforcement and
counter-terrorism experts.
The Canton
public works, fire and police departments were lauded for their
response to the train accident at Canton Junction last March,
but Berkowitz still took note of how Israeli officials managed
“crisis events.”
“What
difference would it make to a police department whether you were
responding to a terrorist attack or a train crash?” Berkowitz
asked. “It was good to see how they were able to manage critical
incidents.”
Berkowitz was
one of 15 senior law enforcement officials from the Northeast
selected to travel to Israel as part of a program sponsored by
the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). These 15 officers spent the
week interacting with and learning from their Israeli
counterparts.
“It gave me a
much better understanding of the complex problems facing the
Middle East and it also gave me a real good overview of some of
the latest technology that’s available for fighting terrorism,”
Berkowitz said.
The officers
followed a jam-packed schedule that included activities and
briefings from 7 in the morning to 11 at night.
The first
half-day was spent touring Ben Gurion International Airport in
Tel Aviv, which services all of the incoming international
flights bound for Israel, according to Berkowitz. As a result,
he coined it the equivalent to the “gateway to Israel” and
considers it to be the “safest airport in the world.”
The officers
met with airport officials and observed the passenger screening
process as well as the technology used to detect weapons or
other banned objects.
From there,
the group saw how Israel protects its Jewish, Christian and
Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, observed operations at the
Israeli boarder with Syria and Lebanon, and visited towns near
the Gaza Strip that were the site of recent Hamas missile
attacks.
Berkowitz was
particularly struck by a visit to Ashkelon, an Israeli city near
the Gaza strip.
“Ashkelon in a
lot of ways reminded me of a big Canton,” Berkowitz said. “It
was a middle class community with not a huge crime problem.”
Berkowitz
spoke with the police chief in Ashkelon about the similarities
between Canton and the Israeli city and the two shared concerns
in dealing with juvenile drug use, domestic violence and drunk
driving, among other issues.
However, the
similarities ended there. At the time of Berkowitz’s trip to
Israel, Ashkelon had endured 568 rocket attacks this year; and
with tensions escalating within the last week between Israel and
Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Berkowitz estimates that Ashkelon dealt
with nearly 100 additional rocket attacks since Christmas
Eve.
Even with the
constant threat of violence, Berkowitz got a sense that most of
the people there — Israelis and Arabs alike — wanted a peaceful
resolution to the ongoing dispute.
“The majority
of people over there want to be in peace and it just seems like
a small minority is keeping the war and the hatred going,” he
said.
Of the 15
participants in the program, five were from Massachusetts:
Berkowitz; Mark Morelli of the Boston FBI; Cambridge Police
Commissioner Robert Haas; Major Frank Matthews of the
Massachusetts State Police; and Lieutenant Stephen Ahearn of the
Cambridge Police Department.
“It’s always
nice to have a relationship with the law enforcement people in
the area and have their support and work with them,” Berkowitz
said.
After
reflecting on his week in Israel, Berkowitz acknowledged how
fortunate the United States is compared to other countries.
Ken
Berkowitz’s behind-the-scenes look at Israeli counter-terrorism
strategies during his week-long trip to Israel in November was
an eye-opening experience for the Canton police chief, to say
the least.
While Canton
is fortunately not faced with having to defend itself against a
multitude of terrorist attacks, Berkowitz felt there was a lot
to be learned from interacting with Israeli law enforcement and
counter-terrorism experts.
The Canton
public works, fire and police departments were lauded for their
response to the train accident at Canton Junction last March,
but Berkowitz still took note of how Israeli officials managed
“crisis events.”
“What
difference would it make to a police department whether you were
responding to a terrorist attack or a train crash?” Berkowitz
asked. “It was good to see how they were able to manage critical
incidents.”
Berkowitz was
one of 15 senior law enforcement officials from the Northeast
selected to travel to Israel as part of a program sponsored by
the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). These 15 officers spent the
week interacting with and learning from their Israeli
counterparts.
“It gave me a
much better understanding of the complex problems facing the
Middle East and it also gave me a real good overview of some of
the latest technology that’s available for fighting terrorism,”
Berkowitz said.
The officers
followed a jam-packed schedule that included activities and
briefings from 7 in the morning to 11 at night.
The first
half-day was spent touring Ben Gurion International Airport in
Tel Aviv, which services all of the incoming international
flights bound for Israel, according to Berkowitz. As a result,
he coined it the equivalent to the “gateway to Israel” and
considers it to be the “safest airport in the world.”
The officers
met with airport officials and observed the passenger screening
process as well as the technology used to detect weapons or
other banned objects.
From there,
the group saw how Israel protects its Jewish, Christian and
Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, observed operations at the
Israeli boarder with Syria and Lebanon, and visited towns near
the Gaza Strip that were the site of recent Hamas missile
attacks.
Berkowitz was
particularly struck by a visit to Ashkelon, an Israeli city near
the Gaza strip.
“Ashkelon in a
lot of ways reminded me of a big Canton,” Berkowitz said. “It
was a middle class community with not a huge crime problem.”
Berkowitz
spoke with the police chief in Ashkelon about the similarities
between Canton and the Israeli city and the two shared concerns
in dealing with juvenile drug use, domestic violence and drunk
driving, among other issues.
However, the
similarities ended there. At the time of Berkowitz’s trip to
Israel, Ashkelon had endured 568 rocket attacks this year; and
with tensions escalating within the last week between Israel and
Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Berkowitz estimates that Ashkelon dealt
with nearly 100 additional rocket attacks since Christmas
Eve.
Even with the
constant threat of violence, Berkowitz got a sense that most of
the people there — Israelis and Arabs alike — wanted a peaceful
resolution to the ongoing dispute.
“The majority
of people over there want to be in peace and it just seems like
a small minority is keeping the war and the hatred going,” he
said.
Of the 15
participants in the program, five were from Massachusetts:
Berkowitz; Mark Morelli of the Boston FBI; Cambridge Police
Commissioner Robert Haas; Major Frank Matthews of the
Massachusetts State Police; and Lieutenant Stephen Ahearn of the
Cambridge Police Department.
“It’s always
nice to have a relationship with the law enforcement people in
the area and have their support and work with them,” Berkowitz
said.
After
reflecting on his week in Israel, Berkowitz acknowledged how
fortunate the United States is compared to other countries.
“To realize
[Israelis] live in that environment every day, it’s just
unbelievable,” he said. “You just realize how lucky we are here
to be policing the cities and towns that we are and we’re not
dealing with [terrorism].”
January 1, 2009
Return
to Past Articles Page
|
