Field Excursion #10: There is a Difference between ILEA and IKEA!

       This week the gang and took a trip to the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest. It was another interesting experience, and it was a chance to learn how different countries cooperate to coordinate training to help make the world a safer place. The Academy was located on the Buda side of the city, and its brick façade and green courtyards reminded me of a small University in New England. Upon entry we were met with another amiable bald man (coincidence- I think not!), Mr. Tom Stocking, who is the deputy director of the Budapest Academy. We were given a tour of the facilities and then were given an opportunity to sit down with several prominent members of the ILEA staff to learn the ins and outs of the organization. We also were given free pens, so overall it was a productive and educational day!

                                            Who doesn't love free pens?!?

       The academy itself was quite unique and unlike anything I had ever been too before. They take in students from all over Central and Eastern Europe, and they have to have the proper facilities in place to ensure every participant can make the most out of their experience. Mr. Stocking took us on a tour of the campus and showed us where the future policemen and women eat, live, learn, train, and work-out. He talked about how it was important to make them all feel as comfortable as possible to ensure high-morale throughout the campus. Towards the end of the tour he took us to a “simulation room”, where the students practice real-life police work scenarios. We stood on a catwalk overlooking the simulation room, and we had a bird’s eye view of all the different rooms and scenarios that the students must go through during their different training exercises. Mr. Stocking said that this is the most exciting part of the training for the cadets and that they enjoy it much more than they enjoy their classes (hard to believe). After, we were taken to one of the Academy’s classrooms, where the educational portion of our visit began.

                                                           This is the logo for ILEA!

                                                                

        In the classroom we listened to presentations from several important members of the ILEA staff. First up to bat was Mr. Stocking, who told us about his personal background and the details of what actually goes on at the academy. Stocking is an employee of the US State Department, and he and his superiors are on a three year assignment at the academy. In the 1990’s he worked as part of the security details for Clinton’s Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeline Albright. He explained how the State Department staffs security in embassies all over the world, while also working on international crime such as passport and visa fraud cases. When he was done speaking one of his colleagues known as “Tibby” rocked the mic and explained to us his role in the organization. Tibby is a Hungarian born employee of the State Department who has been working with them since the early 1990’s. He grew up in Communist Hungary and explained to us the many turmoils and difficulties of his parent’s generation. He said that this turmoil in Hungary and its surrounding countries lead to a culture that desperately needed a strong and capable police network. He said that in some countries the phrase “A wife unbeaten is like a home unkept” was not the exception, but rather commonplace. Organizations like ILEA were desperately needed in order to train men and women who can try to change the culture and enforce the law. This goes to the show the importance of having capable and well-trained civil officers if one desires to live in a safe environment. We often complain about the police and perhaps it is sometimes deserved, but we are extremely lucky to live in a place where policemen and women are able and willing to uphold the rule of law.

                                    Don't want to forget the work of the police dogs as well!

          Towards the end of the presentation the Director of the Academy Mr. John Terpinas spoke with us briefly about his background and role in the organization. Terpinas is a United States citizen and employee of the FBI who like Mr. Stocking, is on a three-year assignment. He was an extremely cordial and intelligent character who just so happens to come from Greek ancestry (hmmmmm). We talked at length on how to get involved in his line of work and what federal agencies look for in perspective candidates. Although I personally don’t desire a career in the ol’ FBI I did feel that Mr. Terpinas did a very good job of explaining the perks of his profession and the important tasks the agency carries out. He also issued the shocking revelation that if one wants to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation it would be wise for them to stay out of trouble. I left the presentation with a renewed sense of the importance America can play in the rest of the world when we put our best foot forward. Agencies such as ILEA promote good and undoubtedly make the world a better place. Some may disagree, but I firmly believe that America has a moral obligation to help improve the quality of life of people who are not as privileged as us. Obviously one could take this as justification for actions such as the invasion of Iraq but not everything America does will work out in its favor. Mr. Stocking stressed to us the importance of America’s role in the world, and he pleaded with us to make sure that international agencies and other foreign services are always part of the political discourse (perhaps instead of talking about who Hermann Cain groped this week and if Mitt Romney is actually half-robot). I agree thoroughly with him and I hope that our generation will continue to spread America’s (good) influence abroad through great organizations such as ILEA.

          

   This is the song "American Tune" by Paul Simon. It is his analysis of America and where is was heading in the 1970's. He expressed sorrow over its failures (Vietnam), but optimism that the US could still remain a force of good in the world.