German-American exchange of experience was the focus of a delegation trip lasting several days End of April 2023: A four-member delegation from the German Police University, Münster, and the State Office for Training, Further Education and Personnel Affairs North-Rhine Westfalia, Selm, visited Atlanta, USA. The current visit was preceded by a visit to Münster and Selm by the Atlanta Police Department, the Sandy Springs Police Department and the Georgia Institute for Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE of Georgia State University) in August 2022.

During their return visit to Atlanta, Uwe Marquardt, Vice President, German Police University, Carsten Twelmeier, Head of Staff Unit III, German Police University, Uwe Breitner, Staff Unit German Police University, and Sebastian Heinen, State Office for Training, Further Education and Personnel Affairs North-Rhine Westfalia, learned about the GILEE team's enhanced information program. The program is led by Prof. Dr Robert Friedmann and highlights the complex U.S. police security architecture and the international cooperation potential for police leadership training. Despite all cultural proximity, there are considerable historically evolved social and political differences between the United States and Germany. This also affects the philosophies and approaches to security issues. Visits to the Georgia State Capitol, the Martin Luther King Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights provided the delegation members with corresponding insights. 

Practical Insights into Protection Concepts 

A second focus of the visit was an insight into the practical work of the Atlanta Police Department. The German visitors discussed protection concepts and current security and crowd management measures for major events with their American partners, e.g. for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, among other venues. U.S. police leaders shared their approaches to leadership development, incident command, SWAT, training and education, and highlighted the pros and cons of certain developments. Finally, at the Brookhaven Police Department, a smaller city in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the German delegation learned more about the U.S. state of play on current security issues such as drones, live 911 programs, dealing with mentally ill offenders, and the possibilities of the five-step APLI leadership program.

"We especially appreciated the open and collegial exchange with our U.S. partners. The discussions went into great depth professionally and the exchange with the hosts, who were committed, solution-oriented and relevant to the field of police education work, was a real benefit," summarizes Vice President Uwe Marquardt. For the future, both sides aim to further develop U.S.-Israeli-German relations. For example, joint international education and research formats are to be continued.