Irvine Police Department

One of the organizations that organize and sponsor these trainings is the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). JINSA is a think tank that advocates for US-Israeli security cooperation, increased domestic military spending, and military aid to Israel, and has board members with close ties to US defense contractors. JINSA launched its Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP) shortly after 9/11, and since 2002 has run annual trips to Israel for US federal, state, and local law enforcement. Over 11,000 additional American law enforcement officials have attended LEEP conferences nationwide, which bring in Israeli security officials as experts.

The Police Department of Irvine, California, is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Michael Berkow served as Chief of Irvine Police Department between 2001 and 2003. Chief Berkow, representing the Police Executive Research Forum, attended a training in Israel with JINSA as a delegate of the first annual LEEP program. His training includes serving as Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department since 2003. His training also includes serving as the Chief of Coachella Police Department and South Pasadena Police Department in California, as well as Chief of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department in Georgia. He also heads the Coast Guard Investigative Service. Chief Berkow now sits on the Board of Advisors of JINSA.

He also conducts business in the private security sector, serving as ŽPresident of ŽAltegrity Security Consulting which provides security and consulting to law enforcement, federal government and foreign entities. He was involved in a lawsuit alleging career promotion in exchange for sexual favors. He was hired as an advisor to the Boston Police Department. He states that before he took the Coast Guard job, he became a principal at Strategic Policy Partnership, a West Tisbury consulting firm on private-public issues and relations.