GILEE Trains Senior Officers from The Bahamas Police and Correctional Forces

ATLANTA—Senior police and correctional officers with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDOCs) participated in the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange’s (GILEE) executive leadership development training program in Atlanta in May.

Their participation is a requirement of the Senior Professional Certification in Law Enforcement Leadership Program launched by the country’s Ministry of National Security. It is supported by the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas.

The one-week leadership program in Georgia was developed by GILEE in partnership with the Ministry, the American Embassy in the Bahamas and the University of The Bahamas to introduce the officers to law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Once in Atlanta, the senior police delegates participated in a review of the structure and history of American law enforcement followed by mentoring meetings with their counterparts in federal, state and local law enforcement agencies located throughout metro Atlanta. They also attended briefings on developing private-public partnerships to enhance law enforcement effectiveness led by partner advocacy groups.

The senior correctional officers began with a review of correctional history and then joined in site visits and mentoring opportunities with state prisons, county jails, city detention centers and sheriffs’ offices.

Georgia State University Professor Emeritus Robert Friedmann, GILEE’s founding director, served as program coordinator for the delegation. “We appreciate the cooperation and exceptional support of all host agencies and we value the emphasis the Bahamas agencies place on executive leadership development,” he said.

The Atlanta program ended with a graduation ceremony with several distinguished speakers: Astra Armbrister-Rolle, Consul General of The Bahamas, Atlanta; Dr. Chaswell Hanna, National Commandant of Training, RBPF; Charles Murphy, Commissioner, BDOCs; Jamie Martin, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission U.S. Embassy, Nassau, Bahamas; Kike Ehigiator, Director of International Partnerships and Agreements, Office of International Initiatives, Georgia State University; The Hon. Marvin H. Dames, Minister of National Security, Commonwealth of The Bahamas; Brian Rolle, Superintendent RBPF; and Dalnecia Gray, Principal Corrections Officer BDOCs.

“By every account, they were pleased with our program,” said Friedmann. “GILEE looks forward to continue providing this senior leadership training for executives from The Bahamas.”

To learn more, view a short video of the graduation, read the Honorable Marvin Dames’ remarks and see photos of the Bahamian delegation with various hosts.