University of Vermont 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 the University of Vermont is among the departments that have sent delegates to Israel. Gary Margolis served as Chief of University of Vermont Police Department between 1998 and 2009. Chief Margolis attended a training in Israel with JINSA as a delegate of the LEEP program in February 2008. Margolis has led or been involved in several national and international initiatives for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Chief Margolis co-founded Margolis Healy, a professional services firm specializing in campus safety, security, and regulatory compliance for higher education.