Marblehead 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 Marblehead, Massachusetts, is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Robert Picariello has served as Chief of Marblehead Police Department since 2007, and attended a training in Israel with the ADL as a delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in November 2014. Picariello praised the ADL after his training in Israel: Ive always had a tremendously positive relationship with the ADL. They have always been a great resource for us, a great partner.” His training included meeting the Israel National Police, Palestinian Security Services, and Israeli security experts, intelligence analysts and journalists.

While in Israel, Chief Picariello learned about how law enforcement partners with the media in covering and carefully targeting audiences when reporting about “terrorist” incidents. His training also included working with the Palestinian Authority’s law enforcement apparatus, the Palestinian Security Services (PSS).  When asked about his work with the PSS, he said, “We’re all boots on the ground… [we] have more in common than not; we’re police officers doing our jobs in different atmospheres.”