Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday emphasized the need for cooperation among international law enforcement agencies in a speech before graduates of the FBI National Academy.
The FBI National Academy is a training program for active U.S. and international law enforcement officers who seek to enhance their skills and knowledge. Friday’s graduating class, the 276th in the academy’s history, was comprised of officers from 49 states and 35 different nations.
“In a matter of seconds, a terrorist in India can communicate with a sympathizer in Indiana. A gang leader in El Salvador can order a killing in Boston. Funds can be moved with the click of a mouse,” Mr. Barr said. “The gravest threats to society today drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking and even cyberthreats and even elder fraud are increasingly national and international in scope.”
“This makes cooperation more important than ever,” he continued. “It’s why the relationship and shared understanding and the trust that are built here at the National Academy are more important than ever. By building this global network of excellence in law enforcement we all benefit.”
Mr. Barr recalled his previous time at the U.S. Department of Justice when it partnered with Scottish authorities to investigate the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. He praised the efforts of the Scottish police who painstakingly searched an 800-mile crime scene.
“It was an unprecedented cooperative effort involving not just the United States, the FBI and the U.K. and many other countries but it left a deep impression on the Department of Justice and me personally,” he said. “This international cooperation has become imperative.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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