LaGrange Police Department

The Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) is one of the organizations that organize and sponsor these joint trainings. As a joint program of the Georgia State University and local law enforcement, GILEE works to foster cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Israel, educating Israeli law enforcement on community policing and training Georgia law enforcement on counter-terrorism. Since its establishment, GILEE has run law enforcement executive development and trainings to enhance homeland security, through 450 programs that reached over 33,000 law enforcement and other executives across over 25 states and 25 countries.

The Police Department of LaGrange, Georgia, is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Louis Dekmar has served as Chief of LaGrange Police Department since 1995. Chief Dekmar attended a training as a delegate of GILEE in in 2004. He now serves on the Board of GILEE.

During an event honoring the 25th anniversary of GILEE’s law enforcement training programs with Israel in 2017, Chief Dekmar gave his remarks supporting the program as a past delegate, sharing a stage with Col. Yitzhak Almog, Israel Police Attaché to North America, whose speech proclaimed “[the] mutual benefits of the relationship between the Israel Police and police forces in North America.”

Dekmar also served as President on the Executive Board of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) where he is presently serving as an immediate Past President.