Dear International Members of the IACP:

The turn of the New Year calls us to pause and reflect on the events of the past year. I want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the activities of the International Policing Division of the IACP, as well as to layout a vision for our future.

The International Policing Division is pleased to have supported two international training events of the IACP in 2010. South America continued its proud tradition of hosting its 8th Regional Executive Policing Conference, in Florianópolis, Brazil, in June. The joint efforts of INTERPOL, FRANCOPOL, and the French National Police culminated in a very successful Global Policing Summit on Terrorism and the Prevention of the Radicalization of Youth, held in Paris, France, in September. 2010 came to a close on the heels of another successful IACP Conference, in Orlando, Florida, in October. The 117th Annual IACP Conference attracted over 13,500 participants, with eighty (80) countries represented.

The last year brought with it some changes within the leadership of the IACP International Policing Division. José Ricardo Botelho, Director of International Affairs of the Brazilian Federal Police, is the new World Regional Chair for South America. Leadership shifted from Barbados to the Bahamas with the naming of Ellison Greenslade, Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, as the new Chair for the Central America/Caribbean Region. The end of this year will mark the close of my term as International Vice President in October. My successor, Colonel Nelson Garcia, of the Military Police of the Federal District Police, Brasilia, Brazil, will bring with him a fresh vision of continuing to expand the international reach of the IACP.

This New Year sees the initiation of a five-year Strategic Plan to help the IACP extend its focus of supporting and serving national and international Chiefs of Police. The implementation of this plan reflects the IACP’s continuing commitment to improve its service to the membership. The Strategic Plan is broken down into six (6) goals:

1. Membership services – provide high quality and innovative membership services to ensure membership satisfaction;
2. International presence – expand and increase international membership to strengthen and broaden IACP’s global presence;
3. Training and leadership development - create and deliver state-of-the-art leadership and police practices training demanded by 21st century law enforcement professionals;
4. Serve as the voice for policing issues - utilize and leverage position, reputation, and relationships to serve as an effective advocate for membership needs
5. Partnerships - develop and maintain strategic partnerships to expand IACP’s capacity to address and promote IACP membership issues in the law enforcement arena; and
6. Organizational excellence - strive to maintain a culture of organizational excellence.
   

While the International Policing Division will contribute to each one of these goals, we are certainly well-positioned to lead in matters of the IACP’s international presence. Within this goal, there are four (4) objectives:

2a. Increase international membership – expand international recruiting efforts and programs like the Global Enrichment Program (GEP) to increase membership in un-represented or under-represented countries;

2b. Enhance international membership engagement through regional representation – generate funding to support more international events, and explore the potential for adding an annual conference in an international location;

2c. Increase emphasis and role of World Regional Offices – increase the visibility of the IACP, identify regional organizations to collaborate with the IACP, and expand cooperation where international partnerships already exist; and

2d. Identify and address law enforcement issues of global significance – increase publication of articles of interest to non-North American members in The Police Chief magazine, designate additional resources to researching international issues that will impact the global law enforcement community.

The Strategic Plan will provide tremendous opportunity for wider engagement through our World Regional Offices and for all of us to share the value and benefits of IACP membership. Success will be measured in simple numbers: an increase in international membership, growing international member attendance at the International Conferences and the IACP Annual Conference, and an increase in the number of international articles published by the IACP.

In furtherance of these goals, the IACP has already made concerted efforts. This past year, the IACP established a sturdy working relationship with AMERIPOL, passing a resolution to support AMERIPOL’s efforts in international law enforcement. In exchange, IACP was granted observer status within AMERIPOL. In our International Conference series, in Florianópolis, Brazil, the IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors Club recognized the law enforcement lives saved as a result of wearing personal body armor. This was a first for the International Conference series and is an effort we hope to continue in support of officer safety. The International Policing Division will continue to support international law enforcement training by participating in a US Department of State project to train law enforcement executives from Iraq in the United States. This is a three-year, $3.8 million project directed through the IACP Center for Police Leadership and Training. The International Policing Division Steering Committee, which aids me in keeping the IACP Executive leadership advised on international matters impacting the IACP, expanded last year to include representation from the Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA) and the United Nations (UN) Police Division. Additionally, IACP Headquarters hosted a representative of the Turkish National Police in a one-year Fellowship.

Certainly 2010 was a busy and fruitful year on a number of levels, and we expect no lessening of the pace for 2011. Two International Conferences are already on the calendar. The 1st IACP North American Executive Policing Conference will be held in Toronto, Canada, on April 10-12, 2011. Its theme of “Mission Critical – Global Policing Strategies” will tackle the topics of Global Events Security Planning, Transnational Crime Trends, Youth/Diversity, and Leadership. The 9th IACP South American Executive Policing Conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 21-23, 2011. The theme of this conference is still under development. The 118th IACP Annual Conference will take place on October 22-26, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Already looking ahead to 2012, we anticipate at least three regional conferences, in addition to the IACP Annual Conference.

The road ahead holds many exciting opportunities for the International Policing Division of the IACP, and I am honored to serve with you in these endeavors.

Sincerely,

D.C. (David) Beer
IACP International Vice President