Baltimore City hosts international law enforcement officials for community policing exchange

BALTIMORE -- Through a State Department leadership program, international law enforcement officials are learning about community policing practices in Baltimore City. The International Visitor Leadership Council (IVLP), as part of the American Councils for International Education, includes participants from Africa, Australia, South America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

Participants from 16 countries are working with Baltimore City police on community policing. They call this an international sharing of ideas to make cities across the globe stronger.

"It's incredible to hear the stories that they share where they're facing the same issues down in Chile that we face here in Baltimore. It's just a reminder that we aren't so different across the world," Joshua Peterson, Program Officer for IVLP, said. "Hopefully, they can learn a little bit from and take back home as well as share their own mechanisms that they use back home to accomplish the same goals."

The IVLP is the State Department's flagship professional exchange program, which brings together leaders from around the world on a variety of topics. More than a dozen law enforcement experts are in Baltimore City learning about the police department's community engagement strategy.

"The purpose is to have the experience of what they are working over here, how they are using their resources, how they are engaging with their communities and how they are successful in maintaining peace and law and order," Abdul Salam, a participant in the program representing the Federal Investigation Agency in Pakistan, said.

During the three-week long program, these participants will speak with several local, state, and federal agencies to bring back new ideas to their home nation.

"I really like the things like accountability and transparency because as we come from different nations and different systems we need to learn about the other," Mouhamadou Ndiaye Sarr, a program participant and deputy prosecutor in Senegal, added. "When I go back to Senegal, I will try to do my best in order to share with my colleagues about these items."

The delegates will visit other cities, including Phoenix and Kansas City, to complete their multi-week visit.