Even though there are thousands of miles and a few cultural differences between them, police in Israel and in Rome have made community involvement their common goal.

“We found that it’s better to work with you and not against you, and that’s the way you prevent crimes,” said Advocate Yael Edelman, head of the prosecution division for the investigation and intelligence department of the Israeli Police.

Edelman was one of 16 police officers from Israel in Rome as part of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Program, called GILEE.

The program, led by Robert Friedmann, sends top-ranking law enforcement officials from Georgia to Israel and vice-versa and is in its 20th year.

The police learn about each other during the exchange.

Jeff Chandler, warden of the Floyd County Prison, had a chance to talk with the man who leads the prison division in Israel.

“They are a whole lot more technology-based,” Chandler said. “We tend to be more labor-driven.”

Edelman noted that in Georgia there are a lot of police agencies, whereas in Israel there is just one.

“It’s just a different treatment,” Edelman said. “If yours works for you and ours works for us, it’s good.”

After a short presentation in the Rome Municipal Courtroom the officers were taken into the parking lot of the Rome-Floyd County Law Enforcement Center.

At the law enforcement center, they were shown several vehicles, including the local SWAT team unit’s vehicle, the Bomb Squad vehicle and Rome’s motorcycle patrol.

Friedmann said he started the exchange when he learned that Atlanta had secured the 1996 Olympics.

“I was afraid of having Munich 1972 in Atlanta 1996,” he said, referring to the death of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic games.

The program was honored at a dinner hosted by Gov. Nathan Deal in May.

Rome Police Chief Elaine Snow, Rome Maj. Denise Downer-McKinney, Floyd County Maj. Mark Wallace and former Rome Police Chief Hubert Smith have participated in the two-week exchange in Israel.