Boston Police Department

One of the organizations that sponsors these trainings is the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL is a non-profit that works to combat anti-Semitism and advocate for Israel. In this context, the ADL runs a National Counter-Terrorism Seminar that has sent hundreds of top ranking officials to Israel to learn about combatting terror since 2003. That same year the ADL established an Advanced Training School that brings delegations of Israeli law enforcement to speak to American law enforcement officials, involving over 1,000 U.S. participants since the program began.

The Police Department of Boston, Massachusetts, is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Over the years the department has sent Commissioner Paul F. Evans, Superintendent Fitzgerald, and Chief Gross to train in Israel. Paul F. Evans served as Commissioner of Boston Police Department between 1994-2003. As Commissioner, Paul F. Evans attended a training in Israel in 2003. He explained his motivation to participate in the delegation to Israel dedicated to counterterrorism:

“We went to the country that’s been dealing with the issue for 30 years. The police are the front line in the battle against terrorism. We were there to learn from them – their response, their efforts to deter it. They touched all the bases.” – Chief Evans

Commissioner Evans was followed by former Superintendent of the Boston Police Department Paul Fitzgerald, who attended a training in Israel with the ADL as delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2011. Fitzgerald served as Superintendent of the Boston Police Department between 1986-2017, and headed the Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis. The bureau is home to the Boston Regional Information Center (BRIC), a post-9/11 law enforcement cyber center where rank and file officers share their knowledge with federal, state, and local police agencies. In 2016, Fitzegerald was criticized by the ACLU for working with Chief Evans to implement an invasive surveillance program.

Chief William Gross has served as the Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston Police Department since 2014. Chief Gross attended a training in Israel with the ADL as a delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2015. In March 2015, shortly after his trip, and in the wake of the Ferguson protests, Chief Gross spoke at an ADL event on the topic of fostering strategic relationships between law enforcement and communities.