Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said an eight-day January tour of police and military security in Israel left him with an enduring respect for that nation’s citizens.
BY THOR JOURGENSEN
Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said an eight-day January tour of police and military security in Israel left him with an enduring respect for that nation’s citizens.
“What struck me most was the resiliency of the everyday Israelis. Over there, it’s life or death every day,” Coppinger said.
The 33-year law enforcement veteran traveled with a dozen peers, including Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley and Revere Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli, from Jan. 25 through Feb. 1, with the trip sponsored and paid for by the Anti-Defamation League.
Billed as a “counter-terrorism seminar in Israel,” the trip sent the participants crisscrossing Israel from dawn to dusk meeting with security officials and viewing, in detail, historically embattled areas like the Golan Heights and Gaza Strip.
Coppinger said an excursion to the Syrian and Lebanese borders brought into sharp focus the Syrian war that included the sound of bombs exploding after being dropped from planes and small-arms fire.
“Being a cop, you knew it was close by,” Coppinger said.
The trip gave Coppinger and fellow travelers a look at border posts, including ones marked with signs reading, “mortal danger,” and the walls and fences safeguarding Israel’s borders. They viewed the high-technology security system designed to detect terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza Strip and they met Palestinian Civil Police representatives, including the Bethlehem Police District colonel who presented Coppinger with a commemorative plate.
Jerusalem tours showed him the elaborate security involved in protecting the city’s holy sites and Coppinger said traveling to Israel offered a glimpse into the elaborate security employed by El Al Israel Airlines.
“The professionalism shown was incredible. It opened my eyes on a lot of things,” he said.
He was struck by how daily life in the places he visited includes security protocols, armed police on the streets and explosions and gunfire. Coppinger said attacks are responded to and investigated, if possible, in a two-hour time period in order to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
Coppinger said the military and police representatives he met offered insights into detecting and responding to “home-grown” terror threats.
“The biggest thing I brought back is a new perspective. They taught us a lot,” he said.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].