Massachusetts State Police

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 State Police of Massachusetts is among the departments that have sent delegates to and hosted delegates from Israel. Frank Matthews served as Major of the Massachusetts State Police until 2015. Richard Prior served as Major of the Massachusetts State Police. Major Matthews attended a training in Israel with the ADL as a delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2008. Major Prior attended a training in Israel with the ADL as a delegate of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2016. Major Matthews is the co-founder of Matthews & Matthews, LLC along with his brother Steve Matthews, also former MSP officer.

Major Prior’s training included briefings by Israeli intelligence, and visits to the Occupied Golan Heights and Gaza Strip. He is now Commander of the State Police Special Operations Section. In addition, Major Prior runs the Preparedness section of Massachusetts State Police’s new Division of Homeland Security and Preparedness, which oversees the Massachusetts Commonwealth Fusion Center.

According to the ACLU, fusion centers can employ officials from federal, state and local law enforcement and homeland security agencies, as well as other state and local government entities, the federal intelligence community, the military and even private companies, to spy on Americans in virtually complete secrecy.

In 2014, Israeli Police Aviation Unit Commander, Nir Rosenthal, attended an exchange with the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing. Additionally, Massachusetts State Police officials serving in the department attended a training in Israel with the ADL as delegates of the National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in 2017. Their training included visits to regions internationally recognized as territory occupied by Israel, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.