“This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Colonel James Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol and former director of Colorado’s Office of Preparedness, Security and Fire Safety.

He was speaking about ADL’s National Counterterrorism Seminar (NCTS) inIsrael. Twice a year, ADL brings top-ranking American law enforcement officials toIsraelfor an intense week of briefings from Israeli experts about counterterrorism tactics essential forIsrael’s survival.

ADL provided the opportunity for Colonel Wolfinbarger’s group to meet with an array of high-level officials, including Israeli Brigadier Generals, police commanders and a mayor. They visited the locations of suicide attacks, security units and the holy sites of several religions. With ADL’s help, they learned how Israelis maintain security-and started thinking about applying those techniques at home.

“The way information moves inIsraelis much more fluid than it is here,” says Colonel Wolfinbarger. “They have a remarkable exchange of information between all levels of government and private industry. They also get information out very quickly about terrorist threats. That’s something we can build on here.”

Colonel Wolfinbarger has nothing but praise for the seminar. “The coordination and planning that ADL completed in order to make the trip a success was superb,” he says. “The likelihood of [my] being able to travel across the world again, to have a behind-the-scenes look at the security administration in Israel, to see those things and meet those people, was an irreplaceable opportunity.”

With your support, ADL can help more U.S. law enforcement officers get an inside look at Israeli counterterrorism and bring the lessons back home.