ADL held the fifteenth session of its Advanced Training School (ATS) course on Extremist and Terrorist Threats from May 10-12 in Washington, DC.
The course was attended by 34 participants, including Special Agents in Charge and Assistant Special Agents in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as executives from police departments from across the country, including Philadelphia, Dallas, and Boston.
Highlights of the program included: a presentation on Trends in Terrorism by the FBI Assistant Director of Public Affairs; a presentation on Radicalization in the West by an Intelligence Research Specialist from the New York City Police Department's Intelligence Division; and a presentation by a Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Service on Britain's strategies, tactics, and lessons learned to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks.
Participants described the course as "outstanding." In the words of one participant, "The ATS course was absolutely phenomenal. I have never attended a more professional program. The entire curriculum from start to finish…there was absolutely no wasted time or filler. Every topic and speaker was riveting." In the words of another, "This is one of the best schools I've been to in a long time…Any command officer needs to attend this class."
ATS now has trained approximately 550 senior level law enforcement personal, representing more than 200 different agencies from across the country.