Major Buster Cushing of the Cherokee Sheriffs Office recently spent two weeks in Israel for training in the latest counterterrorism techniques and technologies by that countrys top police professionals.

Cushing was a member of a delegation of police chiefs, sheriffs, a Georgia commissioner and an inspector from various public safety and law enforcement agencies who participated in the 24th Annual Peer-To-Peer Public Safety Training Program, organized by the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE).

Fifteen Georgia delegates were joined by law enforcement leaders from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department in New York and police departments in Alabama and Washington.

Georgias Attorney General, Sam Olens, emphasized the trainings importance to Georgia communities when he stated, The training received in Israel and their ability to deal with high-pressure situations will be valuable for day-to-day situations. There is so much we can learn to be that beacon on the hill again.

GILEE, a research unit of Georgia State Universitys Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, improves public safety by enhancing inter-agency cooperation and educational training among law enforcement communities by offering best practices and sources of excellence in a peer-to-peer environment. It was founded as a joint program between the University and Georgias law enforcement community by Director Robert Friedmann, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice.