The Anti-Defamation League’s four Southern California Regions provided a forum for Israeli National Police Superintendent and Foreign Press Information Officer Micky Rosenfeld to brief over 260 federal, state and local law enforcement officers from San Luis Obispo to San Diego over a two-day period. The symposium in Long Beach was co-sponsored by the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and the two Southern California fusion centers, the Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC) and the Orange County Information and Analysis Center (OCIAC). Commander William LeBaron (LBPD), SSA Maury Bas (JRIC) and Sgt. Luis DeAnda (OCIAC) offered the introductory remarks, highlighting the significance of continued education focused on counter-terrorism as well as the strong partnership with the ADL.
Rosenfeld addressed the topic of “Managing the Aftermath of a Terrorism Attack,” focusing on police response to the range of terrorist incidents perpetrated in Israel over the last two decades. The Superintendent stated that the terrorist acts being committed now are unlike the suicide bombings that Israel saw two decades ago because the individuals committing the acts are “lone wolves.” There is no organized terrorist organization behind these perpetrators. The incitement for these individual terrorists is coming from social media and therefore, he stated, the Israeli National Police are increasing their capabilities to monitor these websites and stop attacks before they happen. Rosenfeld also emphasized that the Israeli National Police take great pains to help people return to “life as normal” after a terrorist attack as quickly as possible without impacting the integrity of the crime scene. This sends a strong message that Israelis’ do not live in fear and the terrorists that they have failed to interrupt the daily lives.
During Rosenfeld’s swing through the southland for ADL, he also provided a briefing for young leaders and an insider’s briefing to ADL supporters in the San Fernando Valley.