FLETC ournal Volume 14

Spring - Summer

2015

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTERS

 ARTESIA CHARLESTON CHELTENHAM GLYNCO 

J

SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL ISSUE
2 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

Foreword

I am pleased to introduce this edition of the FLETC Journal, which offers a 

collection of articles that focus on law enforcement training in the international 

arena. Threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, violent 

extremism, and new pandemic diseases transcend our domestic borders. Thus, 

DHS must work internationally to maintain both our physical and economic 

security. As Assistant Secretary for DHS overseeing international engagement, I 

recognize the critical nexus between the Department’s overseas mission and the 

training expertise FLETC has to offer.

In April 2013, President Obama signed Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 23, which aims to 

strengthen the ability of the United States to help allies and partner nations build their own security 

capacities, consistent with the principles of good governance and rule of law. As DHS works with 

other federal agencies to achieve the goals of PPD-23, it can help partner nations build sustainable 

capacity to address common security challenges and promote partner support for U.S. interests, thus 

effectively expanding the national security of the United States. As the Nation’s largest law enforcement 

training organization, FLETC is uniquely positioned to support the Department’s international 

capacity-building efforts by offering expertise in training academy operations, training delivery, 

curriculum development, and integrating technology to enhance training. In these ways, DHS can help 

international partners create sustainable physical infrastructure and training curricula to facilitate 

their own high quality law enforcement training and ongoing professional development.

This edition of the FLETC Journal provides a snapshot of the important work already occurring in 

support of building law enforcement capacity for the U.S. Government’s international partners. It also 

offers a helpful framework for how FLETC will serve the Department’s interests going forward as it 

works across the Federal Government to advance the security interests of the United States.

Alan D. Bersin 

Alan D. Bersin

Assistant Secretary and

Chief Diplomatic Officer

Office of Policy

2 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

Cover Photo: International, United States, and Department of Homeland Security Flags.
www.fletc.gov 3

Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

FLETCJ

36

International Law 

Enforcement Academy

- Gaborone

My assignment as the 

Director of the International 

Law Enforcement Academy 

in Botswana was the most 

rewarding assignment I have 

ever had in my 42 years in law 

enforcement. - J.O. Smith

16

From its earliest days four decades ago, FLETC’s reach 

has extended beyond the United States. In coordination 

with the Department of State, FLETC has always had 

the authority to train international law enforcement officers, 

with other countries sending personnel to attend FLETC training 

programs. 

8

Voices from the Field: 

An International Perspective

Rivaled by none, FLETC sits at the pinnacle of professional law enforcement 

training. Sitting on the cutting edge of law enforcement training in the United 

States, FLETC brings to bear world class law enforcement training experts and 

contemporary curricula to address an extremely wide range of training needs. 

Working together, the Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative 

Training Assistance Program and FLETC are able to provide the finest the 

United States has to offer in the way of law enforcement training and technical 

assistance designed to build long term sustainable law enforcement capacity.

- Assistant Director Gary L. Barr 

 ICITAP, U.S. Department of Justice

Through a wide range of 

cooperative initiatives, the United 

States and Thailand work together 

to improve the capacity of law 

enforcement and strengthen 

criminal justice institutions in 

the region. The ILEA - Bangkok 

exemplifies this cooperative effort.

International Law 

Enforcement Academy 

- Bangkok

21

Leadership Reflections on FLETC’s 

Role in International Law Enforcement 

Training and Capacity-Building

2 Foreword 

5 Reflections on Leadership 

13 What International 

Criminal Investigative Training 

Assistance Program (ICITAP) 

Means to FLETC ICITAP draws 

on the talent of many agencies and 

then works with foreign governments to 

develop professional and transparent law 

enforcement institutions.

24 FLETC’s Role in Training 

International Embassy Staff 

on Human Trafficking It has been 

determined that most human trafficking 

victims enter the United States legally on 

some type of Visa. 

27 International Exchange 

Programs By sharing ideas and 

experiences with our international peers, 

FLETC is able to improve the quality of 

the training programs we deliver to our 

partners at home and abroad.

31 Adaptive Training 

for International Law 

Enforcement The barriers of 

police work in third-world countries are 

unimaginable to the western mind.

44 International Presence at 

FLETC Enhanced by HSI U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

(ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations 

(HSI) maintains a significant international 

presence, with offices worldwide.

48 FLETC Intern Program 

Twice each year FLETC selects a small 

group of dedicated university students for a 

12-week immersive program.

53 Remember the First 

Amendment – So Smile...You 

may be on Candid Camera! The 

right to make audio visual recordings of 

public officials is highest in public forums.
4 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

The FLETC Journal is a law enforcement training 

magazine produced and published by the Federal 

Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). It 

is produced, published, and printed through a joint 

collaboration with the Protocol and Communications 

Office and the Government Printing Office. The 

printed circulation is 2,000 and it is also available 

electronically on the FLETC website at http://www.

fletc.gov/about-fletc

The content of this publication is written in 

accordance with the guidelines of the Associated 

Press (AP) style. Articles, photographs, and other 

contributions are welcomed from the law enforcement 

training community and academia. Publication depends 

on general topical interest as judged by the editorial 

team.

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTERS

FLETCJournal

Director

Connie L. Patrick

Editorial Team

Graphic Art/Design/ePublication

Keith Gartman

Photography

David Tucker, Michael Taylor

Front Row (L-R): Alicia Gregory, Jen Tocco, Susan Thornton

Second Row: Carl Milazzo, Preston Farley, Dominick Braccio

Third Row: Bobby Masano, Ed McGuire, Karen Lane

Fourth Row: Ed Sizemore, William Norris, Kevin Miller

FAST FACTS

FLETC Domestic Training Sites: 

•	 Artesia, New Mexico 

•	 Charleston, South Carolina 

•	 Cheltenham, Maryland 

•	 Glynco, Georgia 

•	 LA Port, California 

Export Locations: 

State and Local Law Enforcement 

•	 Nationwide

International Law Enforcement Academies:

Academic, Operational and Program Support

•	 Bangkok, Thailand 

•	 Budapest, Hungary 

•	 Gaborone, Botswana 

•	 San Salvador, El Salvador

•	 Roswell, New Mexico 

International Training and Capacity Building Programs: 

•	 Delivered Worldwide 

Consolidation: Consolidation of law enforcement training 

permits the Federal Government to emphasize training excellence 

and cost-effectiveness. Professional instruction and practical 

application provide students with the skills and knowledge to 

meet the demanding challenges of a federal law enforcement 

career. They learn not only the responsibilities of a law 

enforcement officer, but through interaction with students from 

many other agencies, also become acquainted with the missions 

and duties of their colleagues. This interaction provides the 

foundation for a more cooperative federal law enforcement effort. 

Integrated Instructional Staff: FLETC has assembled the finest 

professionals to serve on its faculty and staff. Approximately 50 

percent of the instructors are permanent FLETC employees. The 

remaining instructional staff are federal officers and investigators 

on assignment from their parent organizations or recently 

retired from the field. The mix provides a balance of instructional 

experience and fresh insight.
www.fletc.gov 5

Ariana Roddini serves as chief of the Leadership and International Training Division. She was 

named a YMCA Tribute To Women honoree in 2014 for her leadership at FLETC and within the 

community. 

Q. Why do you think international engagements are 

important to the FLETC mission?

While FLETC’s first mandate will always be training federal 

law enforcement, we recognize the interconnectivity between our 

mission and the goals of domestic and foreign law enforcement. 

Leadership training and capacity building are two areas in which 

we can actively engage with the international law enforcement 

community. The transnational nature of the criminal forces we 

face and the threat they pose to our society require that we work 

closely together. We must engage in the best practices available, 

train using the newest methodologies and technologies available, 

and develop and review strategic plans in order to adjust to 

evolving demands. 

Q. How does the leadership training your division provides in the international arena 

support the DHS mission and the US Government interests?

The Department of Homeland Security’s international blueprint calls for building and 

improving existing international partnerships to better identify vulnerabilities and work with 

those partners to understand, investigate, and interdict threats or hazards at the earliest possible 

point — ideally before they emerge as direct threats to the homeland, reach U.S. shores, or 

disrupt the critical networks on which the United States depends. Our ability to effectively 

network through robust partnerships and operational integration — within DHS, across the 

Chief Ariana Roddini’s 

Reflections on Leadership
6 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

enterprise, and with our international partners — is critical to our mission success. FLETC’s 

leadership training in the international arena directly supports this overarching DHS effort and 

provides leaders in those international organizations with the tools and resources to become 

more effective and collaborative leaders. This training transcends the operational nature of those 

organizations and fosters collaboration from all sections of the law enforcement community. 

 FLETC’s Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Training Program exemplifies how 

training supports the DHS mission and U.S. Government interests abroad. This program has 

been delivered at FLETC in Glynco, Ga., and at the International Law Enforcement Academies 

in Bangkok, Thailand; Budapest, Hungary; Lima, Peru; Gaborone, Botswana; and San Salvador, 

El Salvador. The wide spectrum of individuals reached through this program advances the rights 

of women across the globe and develops future leaders who will strengthen international security. 

Thirty-five high ranking women police officials, prosecutors and judges from Antigua, Barbuda, 

Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and El Salvador attending a recent program in 

El Salvador received training related to leadership concepts, communication styles, emotional 

intelligence, work-life harmony, and situational leadership. An additional highlight of the training 

was an opportunity for the participants to interact and engage in conversations with 35 students 

from a local middle school, discussing such topics as life choices and the importance of education. 

One of the young girls stated, “I am honored and excited to be with such a large group of women 

law enforcement officers. I never thought this opportunity would happen to me.”

Q. How do you see the leadership training offered by FLETC changing in the future to meet 

the emerging needs of the Partner Organizations?

One of the biggest challenges we face in providing leadership training is the students’ ability 

to practice the leadership concepts, techniques, and tools learned in the classroom setting. This 

past year I challenged the instructional staff of the Leadership Institute to identify alternative 

methodologies and practical application opportunities for those who attend our leadership 

training programs. The Leadership in a Crisis Training Program, which we recently piloted, 

is the result. This program fully integrates the practical application of leadership concepts 

in a scenario-based training environment. Using a simulated environment, the leadership 

program places leaders real-time in an emergent incident. It not only allows them to practice 

leadership concepts such as communication, critical thinking, and decision making, it requires 

them to articulate their reasoning for their decisions. With this new training environment and 

technology to practice leadership skills, the instructional staff of the Leadership Institute has 

identified several additional applications within the leadership training we currently conduct. I 

am eager to see how the practical application of leadership skills will enhance the learning and 

future use of the concepts we teach in our programs.

Reflections on Leadership
www.fletc.gov www.fletc.gov 7

Q. Do you have a favorite leadership quote?

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” 

John F. Kennedy

This quote holds true for me personally and for the entire staff of the Leadership Institute 

and it reflects the passion we have for the development and delivery of leadership training. The 

individuals we often think of as “great” leaders continuously strive to learn and adapt to the 

changing environment around them. For me this quote is also about committing to personal 

growth and an increased consciousness, with a focus on raising my awareness of how new 

knowledge and information impacts decisions on a daily basis. It is more about developing new 

insights and perspectives, than on learning new subject matters. In my opinion, when leaders 

lose their desire to learn, they are less willing to recognize that those around them have ideas and 

opinions that deserve their attention and consideration.

Q. Can you name a moment or person that has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader?

I remember very early in my federal law enforcement career a supervisor allowed me to make 

mistakes and used each “failure” as an opportunity to show me success and how to learn from 

it. On one occasion when I apologized for making a mistake, he told me how he was proud of 

the fact that I made a decision. He stressed that success and great accomplishments only occur 

when we do something and that I needed to recognize that in doing, I will also make mistakes. 

He taught me it is how we handle our failures and move on from them that allows for leadership 

development. My goal is to provide those around me with opportunities, give them the resources 

they need, allow them to have success, and not be afraid to make a mistake. Most importantly 

I hope to create an environment where people can learn from their mistakes, handle these with 

grace and pride, and see how they can go on to accomplish great things. 
8 FLETC FLETCJJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with FLETC Director Connie Patrick and Assistant 

Director (AD) Dominick Braccio to discuss FLETC’s involvement in international law enforcement 

training. Having led FLETC through enormous growth and change over the past 13 years, Director 

Patrick has seen progression in FLETC’s international training mission and has shaped its direction 

for years to come. AD Dominick Braccio came to FLETC seven years ago with significant experience in 

the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s overseas mission, including having been responsible for 

all of that agency’s international training and spending three years overseas. As the Assistant Director 

overseeing FLETC’s international training activities, AD Braccio’s experience has been critical to the 

maturation of FLETC’s role on the international stage. This article highlights Director Patrick’s and 

AD Braccio’s perspectives on the evolution of FLETC’s international role over the past few decades and 

their personal observations on its impacts and future potential.

Leadership Reflections on 

FLETC’s Role in International 

Law Enforcement Training 

and Capacity-Building

By Jennifer E. Tocco
www.fletc.gov 9

From its earliest days four decades ago, FLETC’s 

reach has extended beyond the United States. In 

coordination with the Department of State, FLETC 

has always had the authority to train international law 

enforcement officers, with other countries sending 

personnel to attend FLETC training programs 

when space was available since its inception. In the 

mid-1980s, FLETC added more structure to its 

international mission when it introduced antiterrorism 

training to improve the capabilities of civil authorities 

in other countries to contend with the expansion of 

international terrorism. Seven nations sent students in 

the first year FLETC offered this training. 

By the 1990s, FLETC training experts were 

exchanging best practices with their counterparts 

in countries such as Canada, Scotland, and Great 

Britain. When then-President Bill Clinton called 

for the establishment of a network of International 

Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) in the mid1990s, FLETC provided expertise in law enforcement 

academy stand-up activities, specifically in areas such 

as logistics, engineering, curriculum development, and 

training management. 

The events of September 11, 2011, ushered in a 

period of increased interconnectedness among law 

enforcement agencies. The subsequent creation of the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a year later 

spearheaded a closer focus on the significant role of 

international partnerships in the U.S. Government’s 

homeland security mission. Cooperation among 

nations has become an essential component of effective 

law enforcement operations, with more and more 

crimes transcending physical borders. Law enforcement 

operational priorities, such as interdicting arms or drug 

shipments, breaking up human trafficking operations, 

and penetrating or dismantling terrorist cells require 

unprecedented international cooperation. Recognizing 

the necessary nexus of operations to training, FLETC 

www.fletc.gov 9

From left – Jimmy Palmer, FLETC Senior Instructor; AD Dominick Braccio; Director Connie Patrick; and Michael Perkins, former Director, 

ILEA San Salvador.
10 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

has significantly strengthened its international training 

and capacity-building capabilities over the past decade. 

The current landscape of FLETC’s international 

training is four-fold. First, FLETC provides regular, 

ongoing training in both core and specialized programs, 

including all leadership training, at the ILEAs in 

Thailand, Hungary, El Salvador, and Botswana, and 

has personnel assigned as the Director of ILEA 

Botswana and the Deputy Director of ILEA Thailand. 

FLETC looks forward to taking on a leadership role 

at the ILEA-Roswell, located in New Mexico, this 

spring. This particular ILEA will focus on leadership 

training for international partners at the strategic 

and policy levels. FLETC also provides support for 

the West Africa Regional Training Center in Ghana. 

Second, FLETC exports specialized training programs 

and provides technical assistance outside the United 

States on a reimbursable basis. Third, international 

law enforcement officers can attend FLETC training 

programs at its four domestic training sites. Fourth, 

FLETC exchanges best practices and subject matter 

expertise, and participates in research with international 

partners, which help it remain on the forefront of law 

enforcement training.

FLETC closely coordinates its international training 

and capacity-building activities with the DHS Office 

of Policy, which oversees the Department’s work in 

international affairs. This relationship ensures FLETC’s 

activities are in concert with and support DHS’s 

strategic priorities in the international arena. For 

example, in 2012 FLETC worked closely with DHS 

headquarters and other components to develop and 

begin delivering DHS International Pre-Deployment 

Training, which is required for all DHS personnel 

who will be working in a foreign country out of a U.S. 

Embassy or Post for more than 30 days. 

Director Patrick and AD Braccio emphasized the 

importance of DHS’s recent partnership with the 

Department of Justice’s (DOJ) International Criminal 

Investigative Training Assistance Program, through 

which FLETC has embedded a staff member at 

DOJ to help harmonize international training efforts 

between the two departments. This collaborative 

arrangement will be a key to FLETC successfully 

contributing to implementation of Presidential Policy 

Directive 23 (Security Sector Assistance), which 

President Obama signed in April 2013. This directive 

calls for improved interdepartmental collaboration in 

the delivery of Security Sector Assistance programs, to 

help strengthen the ability of the United States to assist 

allies and partner nations in building their own security 

capacities. 

Director Patrick and AD Braccio discussed at length 

the many mutual benefits associated with FLETC’s 

involvement on the international stage. Over the 

past 40 years, FLETC has created an infrastructure 

through which it is able to support its federal Partner 

10 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

ILEA-Gaborone students applying field forensic techniques for 

fingerprint retrieval. 
www.fletc.gov 11

Organizations’ international missions. Through training 

and capacity-building activities, AD Braccio explained 

that FLETC assists with establishing the rule of 

law and associated stability in post-conflict regions. 

In developing countries, FLETC conducts needs 

assessments specific to each nation’s laws, in order 

to provide training and assistance that will be most 

beneficial. The types of training and assistance countries 

need differ from region to region. For example, AD 

Braccio observed that FLETC’s African partners have 

needed assistance with combatting wildlife crimes, 

and therefore, FLETC has provided training in 

crime scene investigation. On the other hand, South 

American partners 

have demonstrated 

a need for training 

in fighting crimes 

such as gangrelated activities and 

human trafficking. 

Director Patrick 

observed that these 

differences illuminate 

the criticality of 

partnering with DOJ, 

the Department 

of State, the 

Department of 

Defense, and others, 

because “one agency 

cannot do it all.” 

Throughout our conversation, Director Patrick 

and AD Braccio reflected on many instances in 

which FLETC was able to significantly impact 

other nations’ law enforcement capabilities. Several 

years ago, the Ukraine requested assistance with a 

five-year capacity-building project to develop its law 

enforcement academy, including both the physical 

plant and curriculum. Director Patrick noted that 

FLETC was able to help the Ukrainian Border Guard 

Service “professionalize” its police force by assisting 

with implementation of the Instructional Systems 

Design process FLETC follows. AD Braccio reflected 

on how FLETC’s partnership with the Los Angeles 

Port, including establishing a training presence at the 

Maritime Law Enforcement Training Center, has 

created an avenue for countries to look to FLETC 

for assistance with securing their waterways. For 

example, two German law enforcement officers recently 

received training at FLETC-Charleston as part of an 

international instructor exchange program. Specifically, 

they participated in the Naval Criminal Investigative 

Service Maritime Liaison Agent Training Program and 

the FLETC Maritime Tactical Operations Training 

Program, and shared best practices in water police 

operations and 

the use of special 

maritime tactics. AD 

Braccio observed 

that law enforcement 

organizations in 

Indonesia, the 

Philippines, and 

Thailand are 

interested in doing 

the same with 

FLETC.

An integral part 

of capacity-building 

is developing 

future leaders. The 

leadership training 

FLETC provides at the ILEAs provided the impetus 

for the Women in Law Enforcement Leadership 

Training Program, which has become one of FLETC’s 

most impactful internationally-delivered programs. 

During a leadership training session in 2009, Claudia 

Muntenau, a law enforcement coordinator at the U.S. 

Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, had the initial idea to 

design a leadership course specifically for women in law 

enforcement. She talked with AD Braccio about how 

Romania had not sent any female participants through 

the existing train-the-trainer leadership program, 

despite the fact that female officers constituted 

www.fletc.gov 11

Director Connie Patrick with Executive Panel at ILEA Bangkok.
12 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

Jennifer Tocco began her 

civil service career in 2008, 

and currently serves as a 

management and program 

analyst in the Director’s 

Office. She previously 

held positions in the 

Office of State and Local 

Training and the Rural 

Policing Institute. Prior to 

moving to Georgia, Ms. Tocco worked in the 

nonprofit and academic sectors. 

While completing her graduate studies, 

Tocco served as a research fellow at the Rutgers 

Graduate School of Education’s Center for 

Educational Policy Analysis. She holds a 

Bachelor of Arts with a double major in political 

science and history from Drew University, a 

Master of Education degree with a focus on 

educational policy and qualitative research 

methods from Rutgers University, and a Master 

of Public Administration degree from Valdosta 

State University. She also completed all doctoral 

coursework in educational policy while at Rutgers.

approximately 11 percent of that country’s law 

enforcement personnel. Thus, FLETC and Muntenau 

worked together to develop a leadership program that 

covers issues pertinent to females in law enforcement. 

Director Patrick attended the first Women in Law 

Enforcement Leadership Training Program, which 

FLETC delivered in Bangkok. She observed the bonds 

the participants formed with one another, noting, 

“It was empowering. . . We are building capacity by 

building leaders.”

Director Patrick and AD Braccio observed the 

reciprocal nature of FLETC’s international mission, 

noting that FLETC has gained as much as it has 

given. The Director pointed out how FLETC training 

has improved through the exchange of subject matter 

expertise in key topics such as intelligence, leadership, 

and active shooter. The Royal Canadian Mounted 

Police influenced FLETC to begin focusing on 

the principles of adult learning. Exchanging best 

practices with Singapore taught FLETC about the 

progressive use of simulations in law enforcement 

training. Post-9/11, as FLETC Partner Organization 

personnel returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, they 

brought back knowledge of counterterrorism and 

improvised explosive devices, which fed into FLETC’s 

evolving curriculum. Moreover, AD Braccio noted 

how international partners have influenced FLETC’s 

law enforcement training research. For example, in 

2011, FLETC and INTERPOL co-hosted a twoday technology research exercise that focused on 

advancements in training technology and specifically 

explored how criminals leverage cyber-technology to 

expand underworld operations.

Capacity was a key word both Director Patrick 

and AD Braccio used when describing the future 

of FLETC’s international training mission. Beyond 

delivering training, Director Patrick pointed to 

the value of helping international partners create 

sustainable physical infrastructure and curricula to 

enable nations to engage in their own high quality 

law enforcement training and ongoing professional 

development. AD Braccio spoke about FLETC’s 

ability to share expertise in running a training academy, 

developing training curricula, and using the latest 

technologies to enhance training. FLETC’s capacitybuilding efforts will take on new forms in the coming 

years, such as leveraging INTERPOL’s translation 

services to make FLETC’s Online Campus available to 

an international audience. What will remain the same 

is FLETC’s role in fostering international cooperation, 

forging partnerships, and promoting the rule of law 

in ways that transcend physical borders and cultural 

barriers. As FLETC works with DHS, DOJ, the 

Department of State, and Department of Defense to 

implement Presidential Policy Directive 23, the focus 

will be on empowering partners to develop and fortify 

their own law enforcement training institutions. 

12 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 
www.fletc.gov 13

What International Criminal 

Investigative Training 

Assistance Program (ICITAP) 

Means to FLETC

By James Schield

13
14 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

FLETC has recently detailed a staff member to the International Criminal Investigative Training 

Assistance Program (ICITAP), which is situated within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal 

Division. ICITAP draws on the talent of many agencies and then works with foreign governments to 

develop professional and transparent law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, combat 

corruption, and reduce the threat of transnational crime and terrorism. ICITAP provides foreign 

assistance that supports both national security and foreign policy objectives, and training is part of that 

mission. 

Through this new partnership, FLETC contributes 

expertise in adult learning methodologies, instructor 

development, curriculum review, and training 

logistics. FLETC is also in a unique position to 

reach out to its partner organizations for assistance 

and talent in support of ICITAP’s goals. Through 

ICITAP, FLETC is now involved in supporting 

Presidential Policy Directive 23 (Security Sector 

Assistance), which aims to strengthen the ability of 

the United States to help allies and partner nations 

build their own security capacity, consistent with the 

principles of good governance and rule of law. The 

United States has long recognized that the diversity 

and complexity of the threats to our national interest 

require a collaborative approach, both within the 

United States Government and among our allies. 

The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance 

Program (ICITAP) supports both national security and foreign 

policy objectives. ICITAP partnered with the United States Pacific 

Command and other entities to develop the Indonesia National Police 

Special Boat Unit.

Students receiving civil disturbance training in Pakistan.

What International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) Means to FLETC
www.fletc.gov 15

A major goal of ICITAP is to develop professional and transparent 

law enforcement institutions that protect human rights. This student 

is in Bogota, Columbia, participating in the Forensic Anthropology 

Program. It is sometimes called, “The Dig School.” 

Snapshot of ICITAP History

•	 From 1986 to 2011, it helped develop more 

professional law enforcement in several Latin 

America countries.

•	 Remember the over-throw of Panama’s dictator, 

Manuel Noriega? After Operation Justice Cause, 

ICITAP helped transform Panama’s military police 

force into civilian-led police.

•	 Starting in 1991, ICITAP began assistance in 

Colombia. It continues to be a partner in the 

“Plan Colombia Justice Sector Reform Program” as 

Colombia moves to an adversarial justice system.

•	 After El Salvador’s civil war formally ended in 1992, 

ICITAP helped establish the National Civilian 

Police and the National Public Security Academy.

•	 Two days after Operation Restore Democracy in 

1994, ICITAP put “boots on the ground” to begin 

a five-year plan to develop a civilian police force in 

Haiti.

•	 ICITAP supported the United Nations to establish 

a police force in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the 

Dayton Peace Accords were formally signed in 

1995.

•	 In 1997, it began assisting the police in the newly 

independent states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and in the 

following year Moldova and the Ukraine.

James Schield is a senior advisor for FLETC assigned to Washington 

Operations. In this position, created in 2014, Schield is responsible for 

promoting information exchange and collaboration between DOJ and DHS on 

overseas capacity building projects under the provisions of the President Policy 

Directive on Security Sector Assistance (PPD-23). The role also requires close 

coordination with DHS Office of Policy and the law enforcement components 

involved in international activity. Schield comes to FLETC after 28 years with 

the U.S. Marshals Service and began his law enforcement career as a deputy 

sheriff in 1977.

•	 In 2000, it spearheaded the Police Assistance 

Program for the Indonesia National Police. 

The program expanded over the years to focus 

on building Indonesia’s capability to combat 

transnational crime. 

•	 In 2003, it was the first civilian law enforcement 

organization in Iraq after Operation Iraqi Freedom 

began.

•	 And starting in 2009, ICITAP supported 

Afghanistan’s national police in counter narcotics, 

detention, and corrections operations.
INTERNA

LAW ENFORCEM

GABO

16
J.O. Smith

ATIONAL

MENT ACADEMY

RONE

17
18 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

My assignment as the Director of the 

International Law Enforcement Academy 

(ILEA) in Botswana was the most rewarding 

assignment of my 42-year law enforcement 

career. In November 2009, my wife Marilyn and 

I packed up our home and moved from Glynco, 

Georgia, to Gaborone, Botswana, a total of 

8,018 miles. 

After 20 hours of coach airplane travel, 

Gaborone welcomed us with temperatures in the 

high 80s with no humidity, constant dust, and 

livestock roaming the streets. I quickly realized 

we were in Africa and knew we had to adapt. I 

also realized that the conveniences, technology, 

and resources we were accustomed to back in 

the States were thousands of miles away, along 

with our families and friends. Nevertheless, 

during our first nights in Gabs, as we sat outside 

smelling the aroma of the many fruit trees in 

our yard and looking up at the countless stars, I 

knew we were going to love this place. 

My first 42-kilometer drive to the ILEAGaborone was filled with nervousness in 

anticipation of the new position, and because I 

was driving on the wrong side of the road (to 

me) with a steering wheel on the passenger’s 

The main entrance to the beautiful International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana.

side of the car. I made it there safely that day. 

Somehow, I managed to drive safely for five 

years through a steady stream of cows, baboons, 

donkeys, and other freely roaming animals.

The ILEA-Gaborone and the U.S. Embassy 

were both great places to work, and the staff 

was receptive to both Marilyn and me. We 

learned where to shop and eat, and more 

importantly, the exchange rate between U.S. 

and African currency. After six weeks, our 

household goods arrived and I anxiously set up 

my computer equipment. When I plugged it 

in, I heard a loud boom and saw smoke coming 

from my now fried computer. It was a tough 

way to learn that the electrical appliances we 

brought over with us did not survive, when 

plugged into Africa’s 220-volt sockets. 

I quickly immersed myself into the local 

community playing golf, going to church, and 

riding my Harley – the only one in town. It 

often caught the eyes of the local folks, and 

they asked many questions about it. How much 

did it cost? How fast does it go? Do you want 

to sell it? Marilyn also quickly adapted and 

found many new friends and volunteered at 

several orphanages. 
www.fletc.gov 19

J.O. and Marilyn Smith

J.O. Smith with local students.

Life in Gabs was 

slow, but there 

was always some 

place to go – movie 

theaters, malls, 

and even a few fast 

food restaurants. 

The U.S. Embassy 

often sponsored 

events. We went 

on safaris to see 

Africa’s Big Five 

– lions, leopards, 

elephants, buffalos, 

and rhinoceroses. 

We settled into 

our new home 

and I began to concentrate on the work at the 

ILEA-Gaborone. Getting to know many of 

the students opened my eyes to the countless 

advantages we, here in America, take for granted 

every day in our efforts to combat crime.

While many law enforcement agencies in the 

United States believe they are not well funded, 

some African police departments suffer levels 

of severe and chronic underfunding that are 

unimaginable to their American counterparts. 

They may lack radios, ammunition, computers, 

weapons, technology, and training that many 

in the United States consider fundamental. For 

example, wildlife officials in some countries are 

only given three bullets to prevent poaching, 

while the poachers have AK47s and night-vision 

equipment.

In addition to the lack of funding and 

equipment, some African countries do not 

have the asset forfeiture, corruption, money 

laundering, and banking laws and regulations 

that we are accustomed to here in the United 

States. While many in African law enforcement 

recognize the need for these, the political will to 

put them into place is absent. Enactment of the 

necessary laws would cause legal and financial 

suffering to those who benefit from the lack of 

regulations. 

The scarcity of funding, training, and legal 

structures creates tremendous obstacles that 

African police forces must overcome. While 

operating to the best of their abilities, without 

the basics that officers in America routinely 

receive, some African police departments lose 

the trust of their citizens. 

The ILEA-Gaborone plays a crucial role 

in helping to change this mindset and in 

supporting the African police. By providing a 

standardized core curriculum of management 

and technical instruction to African police 

officers and leaders, the ILEA-Gaborone 

enhances their ability to effectively cooperate 

against the principal transnational criminal 

trends in Africa – illicit drug trafficking, 

financial crimes, terrorism, and alien smuggling. 

One of the greatest strengths of the ILEA 

program in Gaborone is the motivation of its 

students – the participants really want to learn 

from us. 

While the ILEA-Gaborone is making 

progress, there are areas where we can do a 

better job. Our training content has to be 

relevant and appropriate to Africa and taught in 

a way that is relevant and appropriate to African 
20 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

J.O. Smith, a Washington, D.C. native and 

graduate of Livingstone College, has 42 years 

of successful law enforcement and management 

experience. He worked for the United States Park 

Police in patrol, undercover, CSI, investigations, 

hostage negotiations, SWAT, and in supervision. 

He also served seven years on the Secretary of the 

Interior’s protective detail. After 28 years, J.O. retired 

and accepted a position at FLETC. He was later 

promoted to branch chief and eventually to chief 

for the Forensics and Investigative Technologies 

Division. In 2008, he became the Driver and Marine 

Division Chief. J.O. recently completed 5 years as the 

director at the ILEA in Gaborone, Botswana, and is 

currently serving as chief of the Physical Techniques 

Division for FLETC. 

students. Training in basic law enforcement 

skills such as use of force, crime scene 

investigation, interviewing, evidence collection 

and handling, and emerging computer and other 

technologies is lacking in many countries. We 

have participants who have never sat in front 

of a computer, lifted a fingerprint, or carried a 

weapon. (Imagine working as a police officer 

without a weapon or a radio to call for help!) 

The training content must be adapted to meet 

these students where they are and reflect the 

tools and resources they will have when they go 

back to their departments. 

American instructors who wish to teach at 

the ILEA-Gaborone must also be willing to 

adapt their typical instructional techniques. 

U.S. instructors may forget or do not know that 

African students use the metric system, may 

not know America’s favorite cartoon characters, 

and may not understand us because of our 

accents. Cultural barriers may exist as well. 

African students may have had experiences 

with different types of government and with 

values and customs that go back hundreds of 

years. Additionally, in Africa, traditional values 

and customs that go back hundreds of years 

are still in practice today. The law enforcement 

landscape can also be different from that in the 

United States. For example, use of force policies 

differ from country to country. 

Despite the obstacles, my tenure as the ILEAGaborone was extremely rewarding personally 

and professionally. I met over 4,000 new friends 

and colleagues who graduated from programs. 

When I arrived, the ILEA-Gaborone offered 10 

courses a year to 27 countries. It now offers 26 

courses to 34 countries. 

Scottish author William Barclay said, “There 

are two great days in a person’s life – the day we 

are born and the day we discover why.” I realize 

I was born to teach, and in the past five years I 

did this every day. I know we made a difference 

on the continent, which makes a difference 

around the world as we combat transnational 

crime. I also know Africa is safer now more 

so than it was before I arrived because our 

ILEA graduates are back in the field using the 

techniques we taught them.
21

INTERNATIONAL LAW 

ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY 

BANGKOK

Dan McAlister

I have had the distinct privilege of representing 

FLETC as a deputy director at the International 

Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok 

since January 2013. The first two years of my 

three-year assignment has been both professionally 

and personally rewarding. Through a wide range 

of cooperative initiatives, the United States and 

Thailand work together to improve the capacity 

of law enforcement and strengthen criminal justice 

institutions in the region. The ILEA-Bangkok 

exemplifies this cooperative effort.

21
22 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

ILEA-Bangkok, stood up in 1999, has provided 

specialized training to nearly 17,000 law enforcement 

officers, crime scene technicians, prosecutors, legislators, 

and judges from 11 countries in addition to Hong 

Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions. 

Recently, Burma began sending students and its 

involvement helps to further relationships in the region. 

The leadership at the ILEA-Bangkok reflects 

the international cooperation necessary to thwart 

transnational crime. In addition to myself, an executive 

director, who is a General from the Royal Thai Police, 

leads the ILEA, along with a program director from the 

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and a second 

deputy director from the U.S. Diplomatic Security 

Service. The remaining staff is made up of Royal Thai 

Police officers, Thai civilians, and Foreign Service 

Nationals. 

From the start, FLETC has been a valuable partner 

for ILEA-Bangkok. FLETC is a permanent partner 

in the Department of State’s Bureau of International 

Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ Interagency 

Steering Group, which has functional oversight of all 

ILEAs. FLETC also provides instructors for ILEABangkok’s core and specialty programs and recruits, 

staffs, and funds the ILEA-Bangkok deputy director 

position. FLETC’s strategic, operational, and financial 

support of the ILEA-Bangkok demonstrates FLETC’s 

commitment to world class law enforcement training 

across the globe. 

The ILEA-Bangkok conducts about 40 training 

courses throughout the year. The majority of the courses 

are one or two weeks in duration. ILEA-Bangkok 

offers courses similar to those at FLETC, as well as 

those specific to the region, including one focused on 

infiltrating Southeast Asian gangs, for example. Various 

U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. 

Secret Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; 

Customs and Border Protection; the Drug Enforcement 

Administration; and the Internal Revenue Service; in 

addition to the FLETC, administer and instruct the 

courses. While these professionals come from many 

agencies, they share a common goal – building capacity 

within the region by providing some of the finest law 

enforcement training available anywhere in the world. 

One of the biggest challenges to effectively training 

law enforcement officers at any ILEA is the language 

barrier. To overcome this obstacle, the ILEA-Bangkok 

Class group photograph of ILEA-Bangkok students.
www.fletc.gov 23

has a highly qualified and dedicated staff of interpreters 

for the following languages: Bahasa Indonesia, 

Mandarin Chinese, Cambodian, Burmese, Thai, and 

Vietnamese. 

I am constantly amazed that participants from 

many countries seamlessly complete day-to-day 

classroom training activities together. This is due to 

the tremendous professionalism of the interpreters. 

Even though I do not speak the various languages, I 

nevertheless enjoy sitting in class and listening through 

the headphones to the work of the interpreters. One 

can only imagine how tedious it is to do simultaneous 

translations, but the interpreters’ voices and body 

language convey how much they enjoy their work. 

In addition to training, the ILEA-Bangkok 

participants are afforded the opportunity to develop 

friendships and build networks with their law 

enforcement counterparts from other countries within 

the region. One of the most gratifying experiences of 

my position is observing this bonding. Beginning with 

the first day Walk-Rally icebreaker and continuing 

through classroom exercises and after-hours activities, 

I see friendships develop among the participants. After 

a short time at the ILEA-Bangkok, the participants 

realize that as law enforcement officers, their interests 

and concerns are universally shared, regardless of where 

they work and live. 

The individual human relationships established here 

forge bonds of true cooperation, not encumbered by 

the diversity of language or other societal differences. I 

hope that these personal relationships will endure for 

many years to come, and will, in turn, make significant 

contributions to the ongoing and increasingly complex 

efforts to police transnational crime.

The ILEA-Bangkok also maintains a Facebook 

page as a resource for the alumni to stay in touch with 

one another and receive current information about 

the ILEA. Alumni often share information about 

successful arrests and prosecutions that occur as a result 

of techniques and skills they were taught in class. These 

events are encouraging and confirm to the instructors 

and the ILEA staff the value of their hard work.

On a personal note, my wife and I enjoy traveling 

around the region and experiencing the food and culture. 

It is remarkable to see temples that were built many 

centuries ago still standing and being revered by the 

people. However, living and working in one of the world’s 

largest cities does present its challenges, not the least 

of which is driving in rush-hour traffic. Dodging the 

street vendors, motor scooters, tuk tuks (or motorized 

rickshaws), and other assorted roadway obstacles always 

makes for an interesting commute. Regardless, I love 

living in a city that is teeming with life and constant 

change. 

Working at the ILEA and living in Bangkok has been 

one of the highlights of my 38-year government career. 

Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles,” and I have 

developed affection for the Thai people and their culture. 

Their kindness, thoughtfulness and patience have been an 

inspiration that will remain with me throughout the rest 

of my life.

Daniel McAlister 

began his career 

with FLETC in 

2002. Prior to his 

detail as the deputy 

director of ILEABangkok, he served 

in the Inspection 

and Compliance 

and the Leadership 

and International 

Capacity Building divisions. He began his 

law enforcement career in 1976 as a special 

agent with the United States Secret Service, 

where he served in various field offices 

and with several presidential protections. 

He received a bachelor of science degree 

from Sacramento State College and a juris 

doctor degree from Lincoln University of 

Law. He is married with one son. 
Whether in the Far East, West Africa, Western Europe, or the Caribbean, scores of human trafficking 

victims are enslaved throughout the world. In 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

launched the Blue Campaign to bring together 22 government agencies to address this heinous crime 

and provide outreach, education, and training about human trafficking. FLETC has engaged 

in the training since the beginning, producing training products and assisting other federal 

agencies with their human trafficking training. 

The White House takes human trafficking very seriously and directs all federal 

agencies to work together to leverage each other’s resources and avoid duplicating 

efforts. To that end, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson sits on the President’s 

Interagency Task Force, which is focused on combating human trafficking. At 

the task force, the President’s Cabinet members, including Secretary Johnson, 

provide input on each federal agency’s efforts in this area. 

In 2014, FLETC and representatives from U.S. Immigrations and Customs 

Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of State began 

meeting to decide how to expand the human trafficking training to workers in 

U.S. embassies, after it was determined that most human trafficking victims enter 

the United States legally on some type of Visa. The determination was made 

based on actual cases in which ICE identified that more than half of foreign victims 

of human trafficking entered the US legally on a Visa. 

 The group decided that the best method to satisfy Congress’s emphasis on outreach 

and training efforts and to meet the White House mandate would be a multi-phased 

approach. First, train embassy staff; second, provide law enforcement officers, who are already 

meeting regularly in working groups, with materials to conduct in-country training; and third, 

form integrated, meaningful partnerships and share information between law enforcement working groups 

and law enforcement from host countries. 

The State Department selected 10 U.S. Embassies to pilot phase one of the training, which consists of 

three separate training modules: Baseline (general overview, open to all Embassy staff ), Focused (open 

to Consular Officers, and procurement and human resources personnel), and Law Enforcement Working 

Group (each embassy’s law enforcement working group). This phase is designed to not only bring awareness 

of human trafficking to U.S. citizens working in embassies, but also to provide concrete tools to assist those 

consular officers who interact directly with foreign nationals requesting U.S. Visas. 

FLETC’s Rol

International 

 on Human 

24 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14
The training sessions begin with the instructor defining the crime of human trafficking. The class receives 

information about how traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion to compel their victims to work for little 

or no wages or to commit acts of commercial sex. Students then spend time specifically focusing on 

human trafficking within each country hosting the training. The instructor shares information 

gathered by the State Department with the class, including types of human trafficking and 

trends within each country. After that, the training uses FLETC- produced videos 

and curriculum to explain the signs and indicators of human trafficking and how 

participants may spot those signs both at work and while living their lives. The 

training concludes with a call for action to report any signs of human trafficking to 

their supervisors or to call the ICE tip line. 

FLETC has contributed to training at U.S. Embassies in Cambodia, the 

Philippines, Togo (West Africa), Hong Kong, Portugal, and the Dominican 

Republic. Upcoming trainings scheduled during FY 2015 include U.S. 

Embassies in the countries of Georgia and Mexico. More than 3,000 individuals 

have received training in these sessions. All have seen FLETC-produced human 

trafficking-related products and leave the training with awareness about this 

crime. Some of the best audiences have been the Embassy guard staff. These 

e in Training 

Embassy Staff

Trafficking

www.fletc.gov 25

Scott Santoro

Scott Santoro defines the crime of human trafficking to embassy staff at the United States Embassy in Lomé, Togo.
are local law enforcement, vetted by the Embassy, who are taught to look for signs and indicators of human 

trafficking. Another important category of students are consular officers, who receive a “focused” training, 

so they can spot potential signs of trafficking in labor contracts and in behaviors of foreigners who apply for 

U.S. Visas. 

U.S. Embassies employ U.S. citizens as consular officers. When an applicant from a foreign country 

requests both non-immigrant and immigrant visas to enter the U.S., a consular officer must interview them. 

These officers adjudicate visa applications and are trained to detect Visa fraud. This training provides tools 

such as which types of questions to ask the applicants. These questions are designed to provide both the 

officer and the applicant the ways to determine whether the worker has a legitimate employer. Finally, each 

consular officer is required to hand out a brochure, produced by the Department of State, that provides 

foreign nationals information about their rights and how to contact authorities within the U.S. if they believe 

they are in slave-like conditions. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, funded by 

the Department of Health and Human Services, 14 percent of all incoming calls during 2013 referenced that 

pamphlet. 

Students on five continents have viewed FLETC produced human trafficking training products. FLETC 

looks forward to continuing its commitment to the Blue Campaign in support of the Department’s 

prioritization to combat the crime.

Scott Santoro is the Blue Campaign Training Advisor. 

He manages training programs for the U.S. Department 

of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign. These programs 

include training federal, state and local law enforcement 

about human trafficking, drug endangered children and 

unaccompanied children illegally crossing the U.S. Border. 

Prior to coming to FLETC, Scott was a prosecuting 

attorney for more than 15 years, working in the Seattle 

area. In addition, Scott has over 18 years of law 

enforcement training experience. 

Notable projects Scott led include: a computer-based 

training program for state, local, tribal and campus officers 

to identify indicators of human trafficking; a second 

web-based course to train DHS personnel about human 

trafficking; an advanced human trafficking course for 

federal agents and prosecutors and training for ICE Field 

Office Juvenile Coordinators. Scott produced two roll-call, 

training videos that provide law enforcement information 

about how learning about immigration relief for victims 

of crime provides a benefit to law enforcement. Recently, 

Scott has trained foreign law enforcement about human 

trafficking in six countries including Cambodia, Thailand 

and Portugal.

26 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14
Our commitment to protecting the homeland 

reaches far beyond our nation’s boundaries. 

In this spirit, the Federal Law Enforcement 

Training Centers (FLETC) has established 

important international instructor exchange 

programs in Australia and Germany. By sharing 

ideas and experiences with our international 

peers, FLETC is able to improve the quality of 

the training programs we deliver to our partners 

at home and abroad.

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF 

POLICE MANAGEMENT

Each year a senior manager from FLETC 

serves as a Visiting Fellow with the Australian 

Institute of Police Management (AIPM). 

AIPM provides leadership, management and 

executive development programs for police 

and public safety agencies in Australia, New 

Zealand, and other nations across the Pacific 

region. The Visiting Fellows assist in delivering 

academic programs by serving as facilitators, 

assessors, and mentors. Visiting Fellows come 

from police and fire agencies across Australia 

and around the world and bring a diversity of 

experience, opinion, and organizational culture 

that adds an important dimension to the AIPM 

students’ experiences. 

Originally established in 1960 as the 

Australian Police College, AIPM sits atop a 

seaside cliff surrounded by Sydney Harbor 

National Park. The campus consists of two 

dormitories, a handful of cottages, staff offices, a 

library, meeting rooms, and the dining room and 

AIPM Sign: The entrance to the Australian Institute of Police Management. 

Each year a FLETC senior manager serves as a “Visiting Fellow” in the 

Graduate Diploma of Executive Leadership program. A Visiting Fellow is a 

scholar who visits another university to help enrich its educational program.

AIPM Coast: The Australian Institute of Police Management sits 

on the scenic seaside coast north of Sydney and is surrounded by the 

Sydney National Park.

www.fletc.gov 27

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

 By Ed Hobson
lounge. Several of the buildings are historical 

structures that date back to the early 1900s. 

The intimate and somewhat isolated setting 

encourages professional development and study 

without distractions.

AIPM’s university-accredited Graduate 

Diploma of Executive Leadership targets senior 

police and fire officials who are preparing to 

advance into the executive ranks. It combines 

distance learning and independent research 

with an intensive two-week residential program. 

There are no formal classes or tests; rather, the 

students explore leadership concepts through 

a variety of presentations and discussions. 

Students visit with senior leaders in private 

industry and work with a professional actor to 

improve their poise, presence, and projection. 

The Commissioners Forum gives participants 

the rare opportunity to spend time in 

discussions with the chief executives of the 

police and fire agencies of Australia and New 

Zealand. Participants often walk away with a 

newfound appreciation for the challenges faced 

by the executive leadership and an awareness 

of how they can better prepare themselves for 

advancement within their agencies. 

Serving as a Visiting Fellow is a major 

departure from the traditional instructor role 

at the FLETC. A cornerstone of the AIPM 

approach is the “Case-in-Point” model of 

experiential learning which was developed 

by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky at 

Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School 

of Government. It uses the actions and 

behaviors of the participants and the group 

as the key teaching points. Through probing 

and engaging questions, the AIPM staff and 

Visiting Fellows challenge the participants’ 

thinking and decision-making. They guide the 

students through a reflection of their leadership 

experiences and a self-assessment of their 

personal behaviors. Most participants approach 

the experience very seriously, and it is common 

to find them working late into the night and 

through the weekend. The Visiting Fellows put 

in just as many late nights, as they must grade 

and return papers in 24 hours or less.

It’s not all nose-to-the-grindstone, however. 

In the evenings the students and Visiting 

Fellows gather in the lounge for the “Nine 

O’clock Club,” a time to relax and, as cops 

everywhere do, share experiences. For the 

AIPM Director: The Australian Institute’s Director of Education 

Services, Phil Shepard, addresses a class in the Graduate Diploma of 

Executive Leadership program.

AIPM Actor Class: Students in the Graduate Diploma of Executive 

Leadership program visit a local theatre group where noted 

Australian actor Peter Fisher provides some skill-building in poise, 

presence, and projecting ideas clearly.

28 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14
Visiting Fellow from FLETC, it’s a chance 

to give the participants a glimpse into what 

policing in the United States is like and it 

reinforces our common bond of commitment to 

public service. 

The FLETC-AIPM exchange was the 

brainchild of Assistant Director Dominick 

Braccio who worked with AIPM while he was 

with the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Deputy Assistant Director Carl Milazzo served 

as a Visiting Fellow in 2013 and was struck by 

the similarity in challenges law enforcement 

faces around the world, despite differences in 

systems and societies.

The AIPM’s Director of Academic Programs, 

Phil Shepard, spent two weeks with FLETC’s 

Leadership Institute in 2012. In addition 

to serving as a guest instructor in a FLETC 

leadership program, Mr. 

Shepard worked with 

FLETC staff, sharing 

best practices and 

collaborating on new 

ways to provide students 

with the very best 

educational experience. 

Executive Director 

of AIPM Mr. Warwick 

Jones greatly values the 

partnership, which he 

feels has provided the AIPM 

students the opportunity to 

learn from some of America’s 

finest officers and instructors. 

As Jones noted, “The quality 

of our programs has been 

significantly improved as a 

result of the observations, 

insights, and knowledge that 

each of the exchange officers 

have brought.” 

RHINELAND-PFALZ

The exchange program with German State 

of Rhineland-Pfalz grew out of discussions 

during the 2010 Public Safety Leadership 

Development Consortium. In 2012, FLETC 

instructors Kirt Rothe, Thomas Crabill, Glenn 

Guy, and David Udulutch collaborated with 

staff from the Rhineland-Pfalz Police Academy 

on active shooter response training. The 

Academy reciprocated later that year by sending 

Superintendent Manuel Wehrman to FLETC, 

where he served as a guest lecturer in the Law 

Enforcement Supervisors Leadership Training 

Program.

In 2013, Rhineland Pfalz sent instructors to 

Glynco to observe training in firearms, tactics, 

and driving. Later that year, FLETC Branch 

Chief Mike Evans and Senior Instructor Will 

Absher headed to Germany to share best 

practices in collision avoidance and water 

police operations.

FLETC Charleston: Captains Steffen Lubke and Stefan Labonte from the Rhineland-Pfalz 

Police Academy went to FLETC Charleston to discuss special maritime law enforcement tactics. 

They are climbing the ladder during a tactical boarding exercise.

www.fletc.gov 29
Edward C. Hobson 

is the Chief of the 

Leadership Institute 

at FLETC/Glynco 

and served as a 

Visiting Fellow at the 

Australian Institute of 

Police Management in 

October 2014. 

He began his police 

career in the U.S. Air 

Force in 1983, then 

joined the Orlando Police Department in 

1990 and spent 11 years as head of the forensic 

services section. In 2002 he became a Regional 

Safety and Security Officer for the U.S. Peace 

Corps and was based in Uganda, Kenya and 

Washington, DC before being appointed as the 

Associate Director for Safety and Security for 

the Peace Corps in 2009.

In early 2014, two officers from RhinelandPfalz traveled to FLETC-Charleston to train 

on maritime law enforcement tactics. Captains 

Steffen Lubke and Stefan Labonte collaborated 

with their American counterparts on vessel 

boarding, clearing large commercial vessels, and 

water survival.

Most recently, two investigators from 

Rhineland-Pfalz spent a week with FLETC’s 

Technical Operations Division. Mr. Jochen 

Bäcker, head of the Cybercrime Department, 

and Cybercrime Detective Rüdiger Nagel 

observed FLETC’s Wireless Tools for Analysis 

and Geo-Locating program in the classroom 

and in the field.

The high quality of the FLETC staff, 

programs, and facilities impressed both Both 

Bäcker and Nagel. According to Nagel, their 

agency turns to the computer industry for most 

of their specialized training, which is cuttingedge, but very costly.

Bäcker noted the comprehensiveness of 

FLETC’s cybercrime training. Students leave 

the FLETC program with all of the skills 

and equipment they need to conduct effective 

cybercrime investigations upon return to their 

agency.

As Bäcker described it, cybercrime training 

in Germany typically occurs in phases. After 

receiving classroom training, investigators still 

need to acquire all of the necessary skills and 

technical equipment in order to put what they 

learned to use. 

While these exchange programs represent 

a significant commitment in money and 

manpower, the return on that investment is farreaching. In addition to the direct benefit that 

comes from improving training, the exchange 

programs forge lasting relationships among the 

individuals and the agencies based on mutual 

respect and shared experience.

From left to right are Mr. Rüdiger Nagel, FLETC Director Connie 

Patrick, and Jochen Bäcker. Mr. Nagel and Mr. Bäcker are law 

enforcement investigators from the Rhineland-Pfalz. They observed 

training in the Technical Operations Division’s Wireless Tools for 

Analysis and Geo-Locating Training Program (WTAG).

30 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14
www.fletc.gov

It has been said the art of teaching is the art of assisting others in discovery. Nowhere 

does an instructor find more satisfaction than in assisting people of other cultures in their 

discovery. Teaching itself is an art; the art of conveying concepts to a wide audience who 

will interpret your delivery in many ways through their own culture, language, education, 

and prior knowledge. 

 In addition to understanding the challenges foreign law enforcement officers face on 

a daily basis, FLETC instructors teaching overseas must also be prepared for language 

complications, culturally different standards of justice, limited training resources, and 

executing training at unconventional training sites. They need to adapt and overcome a 

variety of impediments using targeted solutions when delivering training to foreign law 

enforcement officers.

 The barriers of police work in third-world countries are unimaginable to the western 

mind. They often face remote and sometimes hostile environments, uniquely localized 

criminal issues, corrupt government officials, limited resources and funding, and a lack 

of advanced law enforcement concepts. In light of these circumstances, the training 

provided by FLETC instructors at the International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) 

is absolutely critical. Exporting FLETC training to these locations, while undeniably 

important, brings with it unique considerations to anticipate and accommodate. 

Adaptive Training 

for International 

Law Enforcement

Michael Hullihan

31
32 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

Communication

Communication is the first key to successful 

adaptive training. Nelson Mandela once said, “If 

you talk to a man in a language he understands, that 

goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, 

that goes to his heart.” English is a relative term 

to those who use it as a second or third form of 

communication. Just as our dialects and lexicon 

differ around the continental U.S., differences exist 

throughout English-speaking populations on other 

continents. An enormous amount of substance gets 

lost in translation if instructors are not aware of the 

language differences. 

I discovered this obstacle while teaching at 

the ILEA-Gaborone in Botswana, Africa. As I 

was providing instruction on latent fingerprints, 

I referred to a glass water pitcher nearby as an 

example of a good surface for recovering latent 

prints. As soon as I used the term “pitcher,” I noticed 

confusion manifest on the faces of my students. 

After much discussion, I realized that “pitcher” did 

not mean the same thing to my audience as it did 

to me. They informed me they understood me to 

be using a “water jug.” Once I used this term, they 

were able to follow my instruction. Anticipating 

that this confusion might occur again, the students 

and I started a list of terms which served as a legend 

to track words that did not immediately translate. 

The participants agreed to notify me if I used a 

word they did not understand, or that was spelled 

differently, and I agreed to list it and the appropriate 

replacement term that would make sense to my 

audience. On one side was the U.S. English version/

spelling of the term and on the other side was the 

African English version/spelling of the same term. 

Basic Western terms and spellings like “flashlight,” 

“tire,” and “fiber” were quickly identified and added 

to the opposing column of their terms “torchlight,” 

“tyre,” and “fibre.” By the end of the week, not only 

was the list full, but also had evolved into a class 

challenge among the participants to add to the list. 

Interestingly, the list accomplished unintended but 

very successful purposes. It gave the participants, 

who themselves come from very different countries 

and cultures across the African continent, the 

US terms are in the left hand column with the corresponding African opportunity to identify with each other and promote 

terms in the right hand column.

Senior Instructor Michael Hullihan discusses visual searches. 
www.fletc.gov

Senior Instructor Michael Hullihan demonstrates how to use super 

glue fuming in the field to preserve latent fingerprints on evidence.

their own cultures in a curriculum that they view 

as geared mostly towards a western audience. 

Many of the participants came from countries that 

are hostile toward each other. The list provided a 

means for them to collaborate with one another, 

sharing the one thing they all have in common 

– language. Also, it assisted in identifying gaps 

in our presentations and materials where some 

information would otherwise have been lost in the 

delivery. The students ended up even more engaged 

in the lesson, as they eagerly awaited each slide in 

the presentation to see what they would catch, and 

what could be added to the list. Though it started as 

a joke, the list became an engaging activity among 

the participants, and established an unprecedented 

level of rapport within the class. 

Adaptive Training Techniques

In addition to the communication challenges 

encountered when teaching international students, 

FLETC instructors must also modify training to 

deal with different types of equipment, supplies and 

resources. Third world countries often lack funding 

to purchase and deploy even basic law enforcement 

equipment or forensic supplies to accomplish 

their mission in the field, let alone in a training 

environment. It can be especially frustrating to 

learn how to perform valuable techniques, but 

upon graduation from these programs, be unable 

to utilize this newfound knowledge due to a lack 

of necessary resources. Standard FLETC forensic 

training therefore has to be modified and adapted 

to meet the needs and conditions of fellow foreign 

investigators. 

Generating unconventional and adaptive solutions 

to unique problems originates from the experience 

of those facing similar issues. Land management 

officers frequently work in isolated locations and 

have to depend on the limited resources they have 

on-hand to work crime scenes. A similar situation 

exists in executing battlefield forensic exploitations. 

33

ILEA-Gaborone students applying field forensic techniques for 

fingerprint retrieval. 
34 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14 

While in Iraq, my fellow soldiers and I developed 

expedient ways to carry and deploy minimal 

equipment while collecting the maximum amount 

of evidence. Combat exploitations involve working 

crime scenes under extremely hostile conditions, 

having limited time on target, with limited 

resources. These conditions are similar to those 

FLETC foreign partners work in. The expedient 

skills and resourceful techniques necessary in 

both the isolation of land management efforts 

and hostile combat environments transition well 

into the forensic curriculum taught to foreign 

colleagues. While we provide instruction to our 

ILEA audiences using FLETC’s equipment, we 

also make concerted efforts to research the types of 

materials that are readily available in their specific 

environment, and demonstrate how they, too, can 

improvise with these materials and still accomplish 

their collection efforts. 

One critical forensic technique employed by 

investigators is cyanoacrylate ester fuming, or more 

commonly known as “super glue” fuming. Super 

glue fuming is a critical process in the preservation 

of latent prints present on non-porous items of 

evidence. Super glue seeks out and polymerizes 

water, taking the form of the ridges in a white 

protective shell. Latent prints are 98 to 99 percent 

water, making this process an optimal method for 

preservation. Traditionally, the process involves 

heating a small amount of super glue placed inside 

a chamber containing the item of evidence. The 

heating element, usually a small mug warmer, 

requires electricity. The requirement of electricity to 

conduct the thermal process of super glue fuming 

clearly is not conducive for investigators working in 

remote locations. In FLETC’s Land Management 

Police Training Program, the Forensics and Special 

Investigative Skills Branch teaches a chemical 

method of superglue fuming, targeted specifically to 

overcome the remote conditions imposed on Land 

Management Officers. The chemical method involves 

soaking standard cotton balls in a solution of baking 

soda and water, allowing them to air dry and then 

storing them in a plastic zip-lock bag. When the 

cotton ball comes into contact with super glue, a 

chemical reaction occurs causing it to fume, thereby 

circumventing the need for a separate heat source. A 

portable chamber can be made out of anything that 

contains fumes, like a simple brown paper evidence 

bag. Using this method, items can be fumed in the 

field, preserving latent print evidence for transfer to 

the lab.

FLETC teaches the cotton ball method in the 

ILEA-Gaborone forensic training and it is popular 

among the participants. The students receive training 

on the hot plate method earlier in the course from 

other organizations. They frequently comment on the 

limitations of the hot plate method due to the need 

Left: Traditional latent print lifting tape and a latent lift backer card. 

Right: Overlapped scotch tape and an index card.

Class group photograph of ILEA-Gaborone students.
www.fletc.gov

Michael Hullihan is the Senior Instructor and Class Coordinator for 

the photography programs in the Forensics and Special Investigative 

Skills Branch, Investigative Operations Division. He participates in 

teaching crime scene and forensics at the ILEA-Gabarone for both the 

African Law Enforcement Leadership Development (LELD) and Sex 

Crimes courses. Michael served three years as a Forensic Intelligence 

Analyst with the Army National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) 

assigned to the Combined Explosives eXploitation Cell (CEXC) 

in Baghdad, Iraq, where he worked as Latent Print Examiner and 

as Forensics Lab Director. Michael served 10 years as a Criminal 

Investigator and Forensic Examiner with the Glynn County Police 

Department. He holds an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal 

Justice from the College of Coastal Georgia and Advanced Law 

Enforcement and Forensic Identification certifications through the 

Georgia P.O.S.T. Council.

for electricity. We also teach them to use items 

available in and around any trash dump such as 

sticks to suspend the evidence, bags and boxes for 

fuming chambers, and bottle caps and tin cans to 

hold the cotton balls during the reaction. Because 

the cotton ball method is portable and can be 

conducted using readily available materials, it is far 

more conducive for African investigators who often 

work in isolated locations like Land Management 

Officers. Field expedient methods for crime scene 

processing are much more adaptable to the kinds of 

environments many international investigators face.

This effort to identify innovative solutions to 

overcome limited resources extends throughout the 

training program. Fortunately, most of the crime 

scene equipment and forensic resources FLETC 

uses can easily be replaced with common household 

items that ILEA attendees can purchase in most 

stores at low cost. Latent print lift tape can be 

replaced with scotch tape or packing tape. Average 

index cards are perfectly acceptable latent print 

backer cards. Ink toner from old cartridges or baby 

powder can be used for latent print development 

powder. Child’s Play-Doh and Silly Putty can 

be used to cast impressions such as tool marks. 

Evidence markers can be replaced with an index 

card or a simple sheet of paper folded into a tent. 

Most first aid kits have several items that can be 

used as a makeshift sexual assault and biological 

evidence collection kit. These adaptations in our 

forensic training ensure a much more relevant, 

realistic and therefore valuable training experience 

for our African law enforcement counterparts. 

One of the most gratifying aspects of occupying 

an instructor position at FLETC is the significant 

impact our instruction has on countless individuals. 

The techniques we teach are used to remove 

dangerous people from the streets, prevent them 

from harming untold others or exonerate those who 

have done no wrong. As rewarding as our stateside 

instructional mission is, nothing compares to the 

feeling of imparting knowledge to international 

counterparts. Nowhere have I seen our training 

mission more needed or appreciated; therefore, 

it behooves us to take the extra time to educate 

ourselves on the unique setting, circumstances, and 

resources of our ILEA students. Only then can we 

be the most effective facilitators of our international 

law enforcement students’ continuing process of 

education and discovery. 

35
Dominick Braccio

Assistant Director, RITD

Dominick Braccio

Every day, the news around the world features criminals and extremists who cross international 

borders to conduct terrorist acts, human smuggling, arms and drug trafficking, cyber-crimes and 

many other unlawful activities. These criminals and terrorists ignore international boundaries, 

just as they do the laws and tenets of basic human dignity, resulting in diminishing global safety 

and security. As a result, law enforcement organizations worldwide face common challenges when 

disrupting and defeating these transnational threats and maintaining peace. 

As you will see in the following article, interagency collaboration is an essential practice. Police 

have become dynamically adept and agile at forging partnerships to combat new and emerging threats. These practices 

start in training with diverse instructors having different backgrounds, experiences, and subject matter expertise to 

maximize learning. Exchanging information, strategies and lessons learned, as well as experts and research, serves to 

reduce duplication of effort and facilitate consistency and professionalism across the law enforcement community. When 

we build global law enforcement capacity, we foil international criminal and terrorist plots, weaken organized crime 

syndicates and keep fugitives from escaping from one jurisdiction to another. 

Training in partnership with other nations has additional benefits as noted by the following article’s contributors. 

Professional relationships and networks established through cooperative international training are built on a shared 

desire to fight crime and violence. These relationships and networks result in significant international operational 

collaboration as officers return to their agencies and face common international threats.

When international law enforcement and the entire security sector come together in an all-inclusive effort to work in 

concert, learn from one another and capitalize on each other’s strengths, the fight against transnational crime is effective 

and successful.

On behalf of the FLETC, we thank the panel members who generously contributed their time and expertise to this 

article, as well as all those in law enforcement, both domestically and internationally, who are dedicated to maintaining 

peace, safety and the rule of law for the citizens of our homeland and the world.

oices from the Field: An 

36 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

V
 International Perspective

Gary L. Barr

Assistant Director 

U.S. Department of Justice

International Criminal Investigative 

Training Assistance Program

Dr. Curtis Clarke

Assistant Deputy Minister

Alberta Correctional Services

Canada

Warwick Jones

Executive Director

Australian Institute of Police Management

Manly, Australia

Matthew King

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law 

Enforcement Policy

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Gregory Krätzig

Training, Innovation & Research Chief

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Regina, Sask, Canada

Dale Sheehan

Director of Capacity Building and Training

INTERPOL

Lyon, France/Singapore

Dr. Rita Wirrer

International Police Cooperation

Rhineland-Palatinate

Ministry of the Interior and for Sports

Germany

As part of this issue’s international focus, we asked three questions to individuals with knowledge and expertise 

in international law enforcement training. The questions were simple, but the answers we received are diverse 

and enlightening.

Meet the Panel: 

www.fletc.gov 37
38 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

Why do you think it is important to collaborate with other nations 

on international law enforcement training?

Mr. King: There are mutual benefits to having robust international 

law enforcement relationships. Relationships are built on trust over 

time, through concerted efforts. The pillars of enduring trust are 

established by sharing information on mutual threats, conducting 

joint investigations where permissible, and sharing best practices 

through training and capacity building where warranted. The first two 

elements -sharing information and working in concert - can only be 

enabled by the latter; that is, having a capable partner who is able to 

manage the information and leverage it to investigate and prosecute bad actors. 

International law enforcement training is the keystone from which all else flows 

on this continuum of international partnerships. Thoroughly exploring how to 

maximize our international partnerships and establish a global approach to better 

mitigate risks across the homeland security enterprise positions DHS and our 

international partners to collaboratively and more effectively address evolving 

challenges in an increasingly interdependent environment. 

Mr. Barr: The Justice Department has long realized that the peace 

and security of the United States, at home and abroad, is enhanced 

by the development of professional foreign law enforcement 

partners. Through the delivery of a combination of technical 

assistance, training and mentoring, we are able to better equip these 

organizations to combat the problems of transnational organized 

crime, terrorism, and corruption. While the main focus is to build 

institutional capacity, there is significant emphasis on human rights 

and the rule of law... Most importantly, these partnerships help the United States 

to protect the homeland and prevent the propagation of criminal activities and 

terrorist attacks within our country. Simply stated, if we can help build the capacity 

and capabilities of our foreign partner to address the problem in their own country, 

we lessen the chance of having to deal with the problem in the United States.

Q1:
Mr. Jones: International collaboration on law enforcement training 

has always been of value, due to the development of relationships and 

the exchanging of ideas. I would argue, however, since 2001 it has 

changed from being a “nice to do” activity to an absolute necessity. 

It is an absolute necessity due to the ever evolving nature of the 

threats that we collectively face such as terrorism, the opportunities 

that criminals can exploit through the use of the cyberspace, and 

the increasing connectedness of our global society. So contemporary 

collaboration for international law enforcement training must not only deliver 

relationships of trust in the global law enforcement community and facilitate 

exchange of ideas, it must also provide opportunities for deeper collaborative 

thinking and innovation on approaches to collective international law enforcement.

Dr. Wirrer: When it comes to training, in general a diverse 

instructor team with different professional backgrounds, with 

different experiences of life, has better chances to create learning 

opportunities for students, who as well have various backgrounds, 

learning needs and learning styles and thus different requirements. 

Besides, the respect for different backgrounds, approaches and 

teaching methods among the instructor team can work as a role model 

for students, preparing them for effective police work.

This applies particularly in cases when the students come from various countries. 

An international network of educational institutes facilitates the integration 

of co-trainers who have at least some experience with the student’s cultural 

and organizational backgrounds. Together with participative teaching methods, 

encouraging and empowering the students to a certain level of ownership regarding 

their learning process and allowing them to build up on their previous experience, 

this can facilitate the transfer of learning results to their organization and the 

implementation in their social environment “at home”.

www.fletc.gov 39
40 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

What tangible benef its resulted from working together with 

FLETC?

Mr. Sheehan: FLETC’s consultations to INTERPOL were crucial 

for the initial conceptualization and subsequent activities of the 

INTERPOL Group of Experts on Police Training (IGEPT). Within 

its role as a foundational member, FLETC further contributed as a 

member of the editorial board for the working group’s International 

Police Training Journal. In addition, FLETC Director Connie Patrick 

was elected to lead the working group as its Chair at the third IGEPT 

meeting in Antalya, Turkey, in December 2011. We should also 

highlight FLETC’s participation in the annual CEPOL Police Science and Research 

conferences in 2013 and 2014 during which they also represented the interests of 

IGEPT.

Dr. Clarke: The exposure to FLETC has also influenced structural 

and organizational models for institutional planning, operations 

and administration. Access obtained through site visits and ongoing 

collaboration have had a tangible impact on the manner in which we 

have framed our training environments, staffing, costing models and 

student services. The knowledge gleaned from our ongoing partnership 

with FLETC has been influential both organizationally and personally. 

FLETC’s commitment to innovative training, public safety and the 

professionalism of law enforcement has been inspirational.

Mr. Krätzig: There have been many benefits with working with 

the FLETC; however, will focus on a couple if initiatives that are 

significant.

1.	 The 4 x 4 track. The RCMP polices most of Canada, and while this 

nation is vast in size, our population is small at about 35 million 

people, and much of the patrol area is rural, or rugged country. The 

vehicle of choice for these areas are 4 x 4 vehicles and other large 

SUV’s, yet driver training for these commonly used vehicles was 

Q2:
left to each Division to complete. Following a visit to the FLETC in Glynco 

Georgia, the 4 x 4 track was observed in use. After several discussions, a 

decision was made by the RCMP to construct a 4 x 4 training area at Depot, 

but instead of building a track and program from scratch, we decided to 

approach our friends at the FLETC, and through our MOU were able to use 

their blue prints and course training material to design a program of our cadets. 

Construction of the track is slated to begin in the spring of 2015, and is based 

on the FLETC design.

2.	 Simulation training has been another key area of collaboration, especially in 

the area of pistol training. Both agencies had a desire to incorporate simulated 

laser-based pistol training into their respective firearms training programs; 

however, there was no scientific evidence to support the decision to migrate 

some live-fire training into the synthetic environment. Over the course of 

4 years, both organizations conducted research with novice shooter (police 

students/cadets), and the result was evidence that this type of training not 

only works, but is nominally better than live-fire training. Both organizations 

conducted research independently; however, when the projects concluded it was 

found that the results from both organizations were similar. This is particularly 

important when trying to introduce a new way of training to partner agencies, 

as well as in-house. It is one thing to conduct your own research, and tell 

people that something works, but when another large organization can provide 

corroborating evidence, then changing minds and changing conventional 

training, to the unconventional, is less onerous. As a result of the research 

conducted over the past four years, coupled with the supporting evidence from 

the FLETC, the RCMP is now in the middle of re-designing their firearms 

program to include training cadets in a simulated range environment.

Mr. Jones: The Australian law enforcement community and the 

Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM) greatly respect the 

work of FLETC as a leader in the delivery of law enforcement training 

internationally. In particular the AIPM has benefited directly from the 

exchange of high quality teaching staff from FLETC. These exchange 

offices have participated in some of our senior programs, as mentors 

for the Australian officers. Their knowledge and wisdom has helped 

www.fletc.gov 41
42 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

to shape a new generation of Australian law enforcement officers. More widely 

the AIPM has benefited from the experience and learnings that we have gained 

from reciprocal visits and the ongoing dialogue between FLETC and the AIPM. 

The international leadership that Director Connie Patrick has shown in bringing 

together many different law enforcement training agencies has been of immense 

value to the international law enforcement community.

How has your off ice’s collaboration on training expanded or 

changed over the past two decades? 

Mr. Krätzig: A noticeable change has occurred over the past 6-10 

years. While there has been much co-operation between the two 

training academies, much of the discussions occurred at the higher 

management level. Even though this is critical to moving program 

change forward, there has been a greater involvement working with 

Branch Chiefs, Unit Heads, trainers and facilitators as they are on the 

front-lines with our students/cadets and can provide valuable feedback 

and insight as to the validity of training. Today our relationship 

is stronger than it ever has been, and the ease in which each agency can request 

information from one another is an example of how two agencies can work together 

towards a common goal

Dr. Wirrer: The collaboration between the FLETC and the 

Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior, for Sports and 

Infrastructure and the Rhineland Palatinate State Police has its roots 

in the Public Safety Leadership Development Consortium (PSLDC), 

an association committed to improve the preparation of police leaders 

for future challenges. 

The first step took place in the framework of this PSLDC - the 

exchange of trainers in leadership trainings: A Rhineland-Palatinate leadership 

trainer was invited to the team who designed a new FLETC leadership program, 

targeting female “high potentials” in law enforcement in Eastern Europe. But soon 

the collaboration emancipated from the PSLDC and became a bilateral partnership, 

comprising mutual study visits, internships and exchanges of experience.

Q3:
www.fletc.gov 43

Mr. Sheehan: The rapid worldwide expansion of internet access 

in the last 20 years is one major technological breakthrough which 

has profoundly changed peoples’ lives, revolutionizing the ways 

they communicate and exchange information both professionally 

and privately. But this development – in addition to other forms 

of technological innovation – has also given criminals additional 

tools and opportunities with which they can organize and conduct 

operations and new forms of crime itself, cybercrime in particular. 

In this regard, the decision to construct the INTERPOL Global Complex for 

Innovation in Singapore represents a shift in the thinking of the organization in 

order to better address these new threats, and our capacity building initiatives are 

also evolving accordingly with the aim to better enable police forces worldwide to 

more thoroughly and effectively adapt to ever-evolving criminal modus operandi. 

As criminals innovate, so must law enforcement.

The digital revolution allowed us to evolve and expand our activities in other ways 

as well. In 2009 INTERPOL established the INTERPOL Global Learning Center 

(IGLC), which is a web-based e-learning portal providing authorized users access 

to a comprehensive range of online learning products. IGLC has expanded its access 

outside of INTERPOL to our National Center Bureaus (NCBs) and other partner 

agencies in order to increase access and reach of our online modules to as many law 

enforcement professionals as possible.

www.fletc.gov 43
As the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) maintains a significant 

international presence, with offices in 48 countries worldwide.

In the fight against increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal organizations, cooperative 

relationships between law enforcement agencies from different nations are critical. To foster these 

relationships, HSI has worked closely with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) 

to develop aggressive training programs that have graduated nearly 600 law enforcement students 

representing 11 nations. 

The International Taskforce Agent Training Program (ITAT) and the Mexican Criminal 

Investigator Training Program (MEXCIT) have laid the foundations for enduring partnerships 

with our critical law enforcement allies for generations to come.

“Our goal is to take a group of law enforcement officers who have never typically 

worked together and train them in the concept of operation as a unit,” 

said Hector Bencomo, section chief at the ICE Academy’s 

Training Division. “Our main message is Team Work.”

HSI instructors deliver a tailored curriculum developed 

to strengthen the students’ ability to conduct criminal 

investigations over a three-week period. ITAT classes 

cover investigation and interview techniques, evidence 

processing and warrant execution. The students are 

also exposed to physical training, defensive tactics and 

weapons practice. 

“Each class requires approximately nine instructors, and all 

instructors are required to speak the Spanish language since 

a majority of the countries we train are Spanish speaking,” 

said Bencomo. “All instructors are current HSI special agents 

and are certified in the field they instruct. For example, those 

teaching Defensive Tactics need to have acquired instructor 

certification from FLETC and/or the ICE Office of Firearms 

and Tactical Programs.”

ITAT graduates become part of an international law 

enforcement community that facilitates information sharing 

and the bilateral investigation of transnational criminal organizations 

involved in a variety of crimes, including weapons and narcotic trafficking, 

human smuggling and trafficking, money laundering, cybercrimes, and more. To 

date, HSI has conducted a total of 31 ITAT classes, graduating 516 students. 

International presence a

44 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 13
t FLETC enhanced by HSI

“The program has evolved with time, to include additional blocks of instruction,” said Bencomo. “In 

2014, we added a block of instruction on vehicle stops. We have also enhanced our 

real-world training scenario with upgrades on our continuing case scenario and 

incorporated the use of the Danis City Venue and the Intermodal training site.”

The ITAT program is primarily used to train members of 

Transnational Criminal Investigative Units (TCIU). The purpose of 

the TCIU program is to enhance cooperation between HSI and 

host governments in order to identify, disrupt, and dismantle 

transnational criminal organizations that threaten regional 

stability and pose a significant threat to the public and 

national security of the United States.

In 2002 HSI created the agency’s first vetted partner 

unit in Colombia, a Bogota-based unit that comprises 

38 Colombian National Police officers focused 

on money laundering investigations. From this 

beginning, HSI subsequently established the TCIU 

program in September 2011, which now boasts 

eight operational units in Colombia, El Salvador, 

Honduras, Panama, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, 

Jamaica, and Spain. In addition to students from 

established TCIU programs, ITAT has also graduated 

law enforcement officers from Afghanistan and 

Ecuador.

The results speak for themselves. In fiscal year 2014, 

ITAT graduates working in conjunction with HSI attaché 

offices made 466 criminal arrests and seized more than $13 

million, nearly 30,000 pounds of cocaine, 15 weapons and 27 

vehicles. Significant seizures included more than 15,000 pounds 

of cocaine in Colombia and more than $1.1 million in bundled 

U.S. currency in Dominican Republic. The arrest of a human trafficking 

organization’s ring leader in Guatemala was also notable.

Bencomo noted that HSI wants to expand the TCIU program into Jordan and the 

Philippines in the near future, while the Bahamas, Thailand and Pakistan are also being 

considered for future membership.

The Mexican Criminal Investigator Training Program (MEXCIT) was established in 

2009 under a joint agreement between DHS and the Government of Mexico to assist that 

www.fletc.gov 45

By Vincent Picard
A Colombian student practices safely covering a stopped vehicle June 

12, 2014, as part of the International Taskforce Agent Training.

Panamanian law enforcement officers practice techniques to correctly 

process and preserve evidence May 8, 2014, International Taskforce 

Agent Training.

Honduran law enforcement officers practice techniques to safely take 

suspects into custody during International Taskforce Agent Training 

at FLETC in Glynco, Georgia.

46 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 13

nation in creating a new investigative section for 

its customs agency. The program demonstrates 

HSI’s commitment to partner with Mexico in 

confronting drug cartels and other criminal 

organizations whose actions undermine public 

safety, erode the rule of law and threaten the 

national security of the United States, Mexico and 

the world at large. 

“In the last several years, we have seen a greater 

level of security cooperation between the United 

States and Mexico than at any point in our 

histories,” said Bencomo. “The intensive training 

we provide to MEXCIT students at FLETC is 

paying dividends on both sides of the border.”

During the training Mexican customs officers 

acquire the tools necessary to participate in onthe-job-training, or “shadow training”, with 

HSI special agents assigned to offices along the 

Southwest Border for a two-week period. 

Former Mexican graduates are also currently 

embedded in HSI offices along the Southwest 

Border and Los Angeles working commercial 

fraud cases. This provides an opportunity for them 

to gain first-hand experience in responding to 

the types of violations they will encounter in the 

field, including engaging in information exchange 

with their U.S. counterparts, coordinating 

investigations and enforcement actions with other 

law enforcement authorities, building investigative 

leads, and initiating cases. They submit written 

requests for information on potential targets, 

conduct audits, observe interviews, and, participate 

in enforcement actions that target brokers, 

importers, exporters or manufacturers. This has 

provided an opportunity to foster strong working 

relationships between the Mexico customs officers 

and their HSI counterparts.

More than 70 Mexican students have completed 

one of the program’s three training courses. 

MEXCIT provides 10 weeks of training that 

entails hundreds of hours of classroom instruction 

on criminal investigation techniques, defensive 

tactics, firearms instruction, entry training, 

scenario-based training and specialty labs.
Vincent Picard is the 

Southern Region 

communications 

director for U.S. 

Immigration 

and Customs 

Enforcement 

(ICE). Vincent 

Picard provides 

direct support to 

ICE components 

in Georgia and the Carolinas and 

supervises public affairs officers 

in Miami, Tampa and New Orleans. 

Vincent resides with his family in 

Georgia, where his daughter attends 

high school and his wife teaches 

French.

El Salvadoran students practice submission holds during the 

International Taskforce Agent Training Program Oct. 24, 2014.

Mexican Criminal Investigator Training Program students practice 

making arrests during the undercover operations portion of their 

training March 19, 2014.

As part of the International Taskforce Agent Training curriculum, 

students from Spain practice safely taking a dangerous suspect into 

custody July 28, 2014.

www.fletc.gov 47

“A large block of curriculum is dedicated 

to officer safety, internal controls and anticorruption,” Bencomo said. “It energizes the 

instructors teaching the classes because the 

students are so enthusiastic and raise so many 

questions.” 

The final MEXCIT course will take place in 

2015 in Queretaro, Mexico. The course will be 

presented as in the past, just in a different venue 

and using a “train the trainer” concept where 

former MEXCIT students will shadow HSI 

instructors and learn to conduct future training 

sessions.

Transnational criminal organizations are always 

evolving, becoming more sophisticated and 

extending their reach. In effect, law enforcement 

entities must do the same. Global law enforcement 

partnerships and international training programs 

like ITAT and MEXCIT give HSI and its partners 

the tools to combat such criminal organizations. 

The world’s a big place, but with enhanced training 

and cooperation, criminal organizations no longer 

have a place to hide.
FLETC is a busy place. A casual observer could 

get lost in a sea of blue shirts worn by students, 

broken up occasionally by flashes of khaki worn 

by instructors. On rare occasions, however, a 

flash of bright kelly green can be glimpsed in 

the crowd. These shirts indicate not a new class 

of recruits, but participants in a program both 

independent of training and integrally linked to 

it; these are the students of the FLETC College 

Intern Program. Founded in the 1970s, the intern 

program has provided invaluable opportunities 

to over 300 college and university students, and 

applicants annually battle to secure one of these 

coveted positions. 

Twice each year FLETC selects a small group 

of dedicated university students for a 12-week 

immersive program. Coming from all over 

the United States, each student brings to the 

program a unique set of skills and experiences, 

but all share the same passion for the law 

enforcement field. Every intern in the program is 

motivated by their own life experiences. 

One intern, Rebecca DeMello, explained “An 

experience which ignited the spark inside me, 

causing me to pursue a law enforcement career 

with increased fervor... was being present at the 

Boston Marathon Bombings in April 2013... 

living through that week in a sullen, fearful 

city, from Patriot’s Day until the pursuit and 

capture on Friday... [Then] witnessing Boston 

rejoice and grow stronger,” truly motivated her 

48 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

FLETC Inter

From left: Emily Savage, A’Shanti Weathers, Emma Coombs, 

Nathaniel Hall, Kristen Brandt, Rebecca DeMello, and Chris McIvor 

observe Driver and Marine Division training.
www.fletc.gov 49

to work for a law enforcement career. Following 

her time at FLETC, DeMello is pursuing 

an advanced degree in Criminal Justice and 

Forensic Criminology from the University of 

Massachusetts, Lowell. 

Though important, enthusiasm for law 

enforcement is not the only component taken 

into account when FLETC vets a student for 

the program. In order to be selected as an 

intern, a student must display academic aptitude, 

motivation, and stellar extracurricular activities. 

Instructor Scott Wright, who currently oversees 

the FLETC Intern Program, says when selecting 

interns he seeks out “decency, humanity, and 

competence, along with a burning desire to be 

in federal law enforcement. Intelligence and 

writing ability are also critical.” The application 

period for the program is open for two weeks 

annually, so prospective students must be vigilant 

if they wish to apply. 

After students submit their applications, they 

must, like any other prospective government 

employee, wait with baited breath to see if they 

are selected. 

“The application period was very long! I didn’t 

hear back from anyone until April. I was a 

nervous wreck waiting for a response,” remarked 

A’Shanti Weathers, a student at Mississippi 

Valley State University, working towards an 

undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice. The 

vetting process is intricate and lengthy, as the 

intern coordinator must work with each division 

to ensure the candidates will be a good fit.

 “I select the most competitive and qualified 

based on the overall GPAs and extracurricular 

activities, along with career and life experience,” 

said Wright, speaking to the complex selection 

process. “I strive to make sure our pool of interns 

is intelligent, capable and diverse. But that is 

just the first step. I invite the training divisions 

to come and look through the top applications to 

choose who might be the best fit for them based 

on their area of emphasis.” 

Once divisions and the coordinator come to a 

consensus on a candidate, they notify the lucky 

candidates. As soon as they accept the intern 

position, their lives become a whirlwind of 

security clearances and frantic packing, as they 

www.fletc.gov 49

rn Program Emily Savage
50 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

may not get much advance notice prior to the 

arrival date. The most recent crop of interns had 

just a few weeks to get organized!

Arrival at FLETC can be formidable. Interns 

are housed on campus dormitories, living among 

students, eating with them, and participating 

in classes alongside them. Interns, however, 

do not observe training and classes full time. 

Each intern is assigned to a specific division 

within FLETC, under the tutelage of a mentor. 

Interns are usually allotted a project within 

their division, and are expected to dedicate 

half their time to tackling it, with the other 

half spent observing classes that interest them. 

In the past, interns have been placed in the 

Physical Techniques, Counterterrorism, and the 

Technical Operations divisions, to name a few. 

Occasionally, interns may set up activities with 

divisions outside their own, allowing the group 

to build skills, work with new instructors, and 

learn new law enforcement techniques. During 

Instructors Ken Tassie and Bryan Feeney illustrate a use of force technique to the intern group, using intern Rebecca DeMello as an example of 

an officer under attack.

FLETC Intern Program

the summer program, interns were lucky enough 

to observe advanced forensic technique classes, 

participate in marine programs, and test their 

skills against each other in a use-of-force lab. 

Interns are placed in a division based on 

their experiences and interests. Each division 

is different, placing value on different skillsets. 

This may include military experience, 

degrees pursued, language skills, or prior 

work experience. While interns may not be 

assigned to the precise field they specify in 

their application, FLETC does its best to 

ensure a good fit is made between intern and 

division. This year has seen interns assigned 

to Behavioral Science, Firearms, Enforcement 

Operations, Leadership and International 

Training, Investigative Operations, and Driver 

and Marine Divisions and the Office of the 

Inspector General Academy. 

Both in their divisions and in the classroom, 

mentors strongly encourage interns to step out 
Instructor Ken Tassie illustrates a use of force technique to intern 

Kristen Brandt and the intern group. 

Emily Savage (green hat) and Rebecca DeMello (red hat) execute use 

of force maneuvers on their fellow interns.

of their traditional college student roles, and 

seek professional and educational networking 

opportunities. Whether organizing to meet 

with representatives from a specific agency 

or making connections with current recruits, 

interns receive a rare opportunity to market 

their personal brands in circumstances primed 

to foster networking connections. Mentors, too, 

are valuable resources for interns to connect 

with, providing guidance and advice as well 

as sharing their own past experiences. Frank 

Berrios, former branch chief and current director 

of the International Law Enforcement Academy 

in Botswana, spoke about the responsibilities 

mentors face. “To me being a mentor is about 

helping shape the future of our government. 

Being a mentor is about demonstrating the right 

skills, knowledge and abilities to be the best 

employee you can be. If the intern wants to 

be part of our government, it’s important that 

mentors set the tone. We may be the very first 

government employee an intern has interacted 

with. As such, we have a duty and responsibility 

to set the example, model the way, and 

encourage these folks to walk the narrow road of 

being effective and future leaders.”

Bringing to FLETC their unique gifts and 

abilities, interns contribute in their own ways 

to the mission, furthering the ability of the 

center to continue its invaluable programs. 

Participants in the intern program have assisted 

with scenario enhancement, advanced training 

development, and resource management, 

ensuring the day-to-day operations go as 

smoothly as possible while also planning and 

preparing for future challenges. Each intern 

contributes something different to FLETC.

 “I was a U.S. Marine Infantryman for four 

years with two combat deployments,” said 

Nate Hall, an intern from Framingham State 

University, assigned to the Firearms Division. 

www.fletc.gov 51
52 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 14

Emily Savage is a student at Chaminade University of Honolulu, 

pursuing dual undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and 

International Relations. A dual citizen, she first became interested in 

Criminal Justice when she moved back to the U.S. from the United 

Kingdom. She is keenly interested in the growing transnational 

nature of crime, and plans to seek a graduate degree in Criminal 

Justice with a focus in Homeland Security Studies. Savage hopes to 

pursue a position in federal law enforcement, focusing on agencies with 

international reach and impact.

FLETC Intern Program

“I was able to bring my leadership abilities, 

communication skills, prior knowledge, and 

team work experience to the group.”

The intern program offers not only shortterm benefits to both intern and institution, 

but also offers a glimpse into the future of law 

enforcement. Men and women who complete 

the intern program often seek to return as fullfledged students, coming back to FLETC to 

take the classes they once observed, this time 

completing the training program to begin their 

careers as members of federal law enforcement. 

One such former intern is Nicole Capps, who 

went through the intern program in 2012, 

and is now employed with the State of Texas 

Child Protective Services as an investigations 

supervisor. 

“My time at FLETC definitely helped my 

career. I have revamped my resume and have a 

good line of sight on a special agent position 

right now. In addition, in my current career 

field, the investigations aspect of training at 

FLETC helped me further engage my clients 

and elicit information from them in serious 

physical abuse and neglect case, ” she said.

As FLETC has evolved, so has the college 

intern program, but some things don’t 

change. Students who are driven, passionate, 

and looking to make a difference in the 

law enforcement community have pursued 

internship opportunities at FLETC for over 30 

years, and continue to do so into the present 

day. Each new intern brought under the 

FLETC umbrella makes a tangible impact on 

the future of law enforcement, whether through 

their work in the intern program, or later, as 

they launch their careers in law enforcement. 

Berrios puts it best, “What we do at FLETC 

is vitally important for the safety and security 

of the United States, our Constitution, and 

the people we serve every day. Having interns 

as part of that charge, it is clear to me that 

their eagerness to learn about what we do and 

how we do it can be critically important.” The 

presence of university students at FLETC 

brings diversity, fresh perspectives, and of 

course, bright green shirts. 
Remember the First Amendment

So Smile...You may be on Candid

By Tim M

www.fletc.gov 53

The Candid Camera television program began with a little jingle, “When the least expected, you’re 

elected, you’re the star today . . . ” The program caught ordinary people on camera in some of life’s less 

than ordinary, embarrassing situations. Candid Camera was funny, and the actors and actresses who 

starred in the popular television show seemed to take it in good fun. The same has not always been true 

for police officers caught on camera by private citizens. Officers have seized recording devices and even 

arrested the people using them. But the officers’ embarrassment was not so much being caught on the 

camera; it was facing subsequent lawsuits for civil rights violations.1

To start, the First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom 

of speech or of the press.2 Freedom of expression prohibits the government from limiting the pot 

of information from which the public may draw. And anyone – a professional journalist or a citizen 

journalist with no training – may add to the pot.3 Notably, bystanders recorded the assassination of 

President John F. Kennedy and the beating of Rodney King. More and more, scenes on the evening 

news are coming from people with a ready cell phone or digital camera who just happened to be there. 

FLETC employees demonstrate public photographing of an arrest.
REMEMBER THE FIRST AMENDMENT – SO SMILE...YOU MAY BE ON CANDID CAMERA!

54 FLETCJ Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 13

The right to make audio visual recordings of 

public officials is highest in public forums. Public 

forums are places like city streets, sidewalks, and 

parks – places where the people have traditionally 

exercised First Amendment freedoms.4 The right 

could be described this way: The people have a 

qualified right to openly record police officers 

performing their duties in public forums when 

the officers are speaking at a volume audible 

to the unassisted ear. One example might be 

recording a police officer making an arrest in a 

public park. Another example might be filming a 

traffic stop from a sidewalk.5 

If someone is in a public forum, the individual 

probably has a right to record the sights and 

sounds around. That right would include a citizen 

standing on a public sidewalk and photographing 

the exterior of a government building. As a result, 

an officer who seizes the recording device of a 

person filming the exterior of a federal courthouse 

may face the same predicament as another officer 

who seizes the recording device of someone 

filming the officer. 6

But I don’t like it . . . No doubt, the officers 

involved in these lawsuits did not like it, either. 

Bystanders videotaping a traffic stop or arrest may 

be distracting. After the bombing of the Alfred 

P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 

April 1995 and other terrorist attacks, someone 

standing on a sidewalk and photographing the 

bland exterior of a public building may seem 

suspicious. Still, this is what separates the 

United States from police states. Our system of 

government expects law enforcement officers to 

endure significant burdens caused by citizens 

exercising their First Amendment rights. Even 

provocative and challenging speech, along with 

videotaping, falls within the protection of the 

First Amendment. Name calling, questioning an 

officer’s authority, or telling the officer, “You’ll be 

on the evening news” – that all goes with the job.7 

But there must be exceptions . . . Obviously 

there are exceptions. An order to stop recording 

can be constitutionally imposed when an officer 

can reasonably conclude that the filming is 

subject to a reasonable time, place, or manner 

restriction. Reasonable? For one, an officer may 

have a reasonable expectation of privacy in what 

is being said. The federal wiretap statute, for 

example, would prohibit someone from using a 

sensitive audio recording device, like a parabolic 

microphone, to eavesdrop on the conversation 

of an officer and witness after the two separated 

themselves from the crowd and made other 

reasonable efforts to keep their conversation 

private.8 

1

See Federal Protective Service Information Bulletin cited previously for guidance for Federal Protective Service officers encountering individuals taking photoph

Constitutional tort claims may be brought against a law enforcement officer under two separate, but rlated, bases.  Title 42 U.S.C. §

to sue public officials acting under color of state [local, territorial, or District of Coumbia] law.  Section 1983 was enacted in April 1871 i

American Civil War as part of the Civil Rights Act ofthat era.  Noticeably absent was any mention of federal officials – acting under

Federal officials remained immune from suit under Section 1983 until June 171.  Just a couple of months after Section 1983’s 100th Anniversar

Court decided Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388 1971).  In Bivens, the Court created an analogy to Secion 1983.  

Bivens’ Analogy allows plaintiffs to sue federal officials, acting under color of federal law, for certain Constitut

2

The First Amendment provides in part that “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or the press...” Title 42 U.S.

to sue state and local officers for First Amendment vioations.  See for example Gericke v. Begin, 753 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2014)(city police offic

Section 1983 after the plaintiff was arrested for attempting to make an audio visual recording of a traffic stop) and Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3

(city police officers were similarly sued after the plaintiff was arrested for recording an officer effecting an arres in a public park

assumed, without deciding, that the Bivens Analogy allows First Amendment claims against federl officers.  See Wood v. Moss, 134 S. Ct. 2

3

The First Amendment extends further than the text’s proscription on laws abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, and encomp

related to the gathering and dissemination of informatin.  See Gericke, 753 F.3d at 7 (the Constitution protects the right of individuals to vid

officers performing their duties in pblic); ACLU v. Alvarez, 679 F.3d 583, 595 (7th Cir. 2012)(audio and audio visual recordings are media of

used for the preservation and dissemination of information and are included within the free speech and free press guaranty); and, Glik, 

4

See McCullen v. Coakley, 134 S. Ct. 2518 (2014)(other citations omit

5

See Gericke, 753 F.3d 1; Glik, 655 F.3d 78; and ACLU, 679 F.3
www.fletc.gov 55

Even an open recording may be subject to a 

reasonable restriction. Since officers can control 

occupants’ movements during a traffic stop, 

ordering a passenger to get back in the car may 

be reasonable despite the passenger’s objection, 

“I can’t put you on the evening news from back 

there.” Some traffic stops, particularly when the 

detained individual is armed, might justify a 

safety measure – for example, a command that 

bystanders disperse. And a preexisting statute, 

ordinance, or other published restriction may 

limit where someone can record. Imagine a 

curious onlooker who illegally parks his car beside 

the road and starts filming.9

And the person photographing the federal 

building . . . ? Obviously, a police officer has the 

same rights as a private citizen. The officer can 

approach and ask questions, just like anyone 

else. The officer can also make a temporary, 

investigative seizure that is reasonable under the 

Fourth Amendment if the officer can articulate 

facts that criminal activity is afoot. Even more 

intrusive measures can be taken with probable 

cause. Police may arrest a suspect or obtain a 

warrant to search the recording device.10

 Quite simply, it is reasonableness that separates 

law enforcement in the United States from law 

Tim Miller is the Subject Matter 

Expert for Use of Force for 

the Federal Law Enforcement 

Centers Legal Division. Tim 

joined the United States Marine 

Corps in 1984 after taking 

the Illinois state bar exam. He 

served as a prosecutor, defense 

counsel, military judge, and staff judge advocate. 

Tim received a Bachelor of Science Degree and 

Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University at 

Carbondale, Illinois. He received his Master of Laws 

from the Army Judge Advocate General’s School in 

Charlottesville, Virginia. 

6

See for example, Federal Protective Service Information Bulletin (Report Number HQ-IB-012-2010) dated August 2, 2010 construing 41 C.F.R

not to prohibit individuals from photographing the exterior of federal buildings from publicly acessible places.  This article focus

traditional public forums, not those made on government proerty.  Government installations and other property that are not by tradition or de

for public communication are nonpublic forums, and the government can regulate speech, so long as the regulation is reasonable and not 

expression merely because public officials oppose the peakers’ views.  See for example Greer v. Spock, 424 U.S. 828 (1976)(a military i

forum).

7

See Gericke, 753 F.3d at 8 (a right to film police activity carried out in public, including a traffic stop, remains unfettered unless a reasonab

imposed or in place)(citations omitt

8

The federal government and nearly all states have statutes addressing wiretapping and eavesdropping protecting conversaional privacy.  S

Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C.§§ 2510-25

9

See Gericke, 753 F.3d at 8 (discussing some reasonable time, place, or manner restrictions for 

10See Federal Protective Service Information Bulletin cited previously for guidance for Federal Protective Service officers encountering individu

photographs of the exterior of federal bu

enforcement in police states. And reasonableness 

always depends on the officer’s ability to articulate 

facts that justify the measures taken. Absent those 

facts, all the officer can do is smile for the camera.
Training Excellence Through Partnerships

Homeland

Security

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

U. S. Department of Homeland Security

1131 Chapel Crossing Road

Glynco, Georgia 31524

www.fletc.gov

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International Law Enforcement Training Academy in Gaborone, Botswana.