LAPD sent officers to Israel for counterterror training, watchdog finds

The report found that LAPD employees who participated not only in the Israel programs but also in many other overseas programs and exercises failed to record whom they met with and document what they learned.

By Dinah Bucholz, Jewish Breaking News

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that provides oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed last week in a new report titled “Review of the LAPD’s Foreign Training Activities” that the LAPD sent officers to Israel on nine separate occasions for training.

The report found that 18 LAPD officers traveled to Israel between 2014 and 2024 at a total cost of $87,000 for the purpose of counterterrorism training.

In 2014, the largest share of the funds was spent on the largest single trip, amounting to $52,470, paid for by a federal grant.

The trip sent eight employees to Israel to participate in a program called “Command and Control Counter-Terrorism,” which was part of an initiative known as the “Executive Development” program.

The report additionally details Israel-related training programs, including the Jewish Institute for National Security (JINSA) Homeland Security Program, other Command and Control Counter-Terrorism events, an Explosive Detection Dog exercise, the International Law Enforcement Conference, and the International Police Commissioners and Top LEA Executives’ Conference.

The OIG report criticized poor recordkeeping related to the joint training exercises.

The report found that LAPD employees who participated not only in the Israel programs but also in many other overseas programs and exercises failed to record whom they met with and document what they learned.

Therefore, the report states that “The OIG was unable to assess the full nature and extent of the training activities due to limited available information.”

Because of concerns raised over ties between the LAPD and Israel, the OIG investigation expanded to review all foreign training activities and found that 243 LAPD officers participated in 117 foreign training exercises.

The report concluded that most of the funding, particularly for the Israel training, came from outside sources rather than the LAPD itself.

The report concluded that while more oversight and better organization are needed, joint foreign training programs are “a common practice intended to enhance law enforcement capabilities through global knowledge exchange.”

The report also offered specific recommendations, including clear procedures for documenting whom officers come into contact with and what they learn, such as daily check-ins.

To reduce intelligence risks, foreign contacts should be vetted, and officers should be required to submit post-training reports for review and approval.

Nevertheless, after its investigation concluded, the OIG did not identify any security risks associated with the foreign training activities.