Officials from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia recently enjoyed an opportunity to exchange ideas and techniques with law enforcement authorities from Germany.
Robert Merritt, general counsel at Francis Marion University, served as a liaison during the German delegates’ visit.
“They wanted the opportunity to meet with people of the criminal justice academy,” Merritt said. “They are extremely interested in our forensics technology.”
Spears Westbrook, special projects director at the criminal justice academy, said state officers and the German delegates also exchanged ideas about other areas of law enforcement.
“They wanted to understand how law enforcement functions in South Carolina, and they were particularly interested in the training aspect of it,” Westbrook said.
In addition to training, Westbrook said, the two groups discussed preparedness, investigations and leadership.
Merritt said the delegates were members of the Ministry of the Interior for the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate, located in southeast Germany.
According to a press release for the academy, the Ministry of the Interior directs the Rhineland’s State Police Force, which is made up of about 9,100 uniformed officers and 5,000 criminal police and preventive forces.
The delegation consisted of Roger Lewentz, state secretary and deputy minister of the Ministry of the Interior and for sports in Rhineland-Palatinate; Cornelia Weis, chief of staff of the office of the minister of the interior and for sports; Mike Weiland, personal assistant; and Gerhard Fuckner, director of human resources, budget and organization.
Merritt said German officials and students frequently have visited South Carolina’s learning institutions during recent years.
“We had a 10-year relationship with the Rhineland-Palatinate,” he said. “Every couple of years, we have an educational exchange of professors and students between Francis Marion and the state. We learn from them and they learn from us.”
The criminal academy is expecting more visitors from German law enforcement in the future, Westbrook said.