Canton 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 Canton, Massachusetts, is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Ken Berkowitz has served as Chief of Canton Police Department since 2005, a position he currently remains in. Chief Berkowitz attended a training in Israel with the ADL as a delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2008. His training included visits with Israeli “counter-terrorism” experts and senior law enforcement officials. The training sites included the Occupied Golan Heights and the border zone next to Lebanon. Another training site was located in the Israeli town of Ashkelon, bordering the besieged Gaza Strip, where he viewed a demonstration of the equipment and tactics used by the Israel National Police.

Chief Berkowitzs also served serving as control chief of the METROLEC Mobile Operations Unit, Commander of the Metro SWAT Regional Response Team, and currently serves as member of the Executive Board for the Greater Boston Police Council, and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. He is also a member of the ADL’s Executive Committee on Civil Rights.

“Basically, Israel is surrounded by 55 million enemies. They operate under different parameters than we do. It would be like us having a National Guard unit assigned to Canton police. They do a better job with technology…their airport security is very advanced.” ~ Chief Berkowitz, in an interview with the State-Journal-Register.