Israel Police help train Sandy Springs Police leader

Sandy Springs Police Department Maj. Michael Lindstrom returned from Israel after a two-week public safety leadership training with the country’s top police executives.

Lindstrom was part of a 16-member delegation including eight Georgia police chiefs and command staff and four Georgia sheriffs.

“I think one of the most important lessons I learned from our time in Israel was how important it was to connect with the community that the officers were working in,” Lindstrom said. “Although some of these areas demanded a more serious approach to the tasks at hand, they never wavered from their willingness to connect with their citizens.”

Sandy Springs Police Capt. Norman Vik previously attended Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange’s (GILEE) 28^th annual peer-to-peer executive training program, while Lindstrom took part in the 29^th program.

“We have been a continuous supporter of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange as it provides valuable cross-training between law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad,” Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone said.

The connections made by the SSPD through the GILEE program have paid dividends.

“In a recent homicide investigation, the SSPD Criminal Investigation Division used contacts gained through the GILEE program to contact Israel Police to obtain more information on a suspect who happened to be an Israeli citizen,” DeSimone said.

He said contacts like these save valuable time and allow the department to operate at the most efficient levels.  

While in Israel, the delegates partnered with the Israel Police and were shown best practices and the latest technologies in policing and public safety.

“To say that the experience was surreal would be an understatement,” Lindstrom said. “We had an opportunity to visit a nation loaded with centuries of history all while being exposed to some of the world’s greatest leaders in law enforcement.”

GILEE is a research center within Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. It enhances public safety by nurturing partnerships within and across public law enforcement agencies and the private sector.