Page 6 - Customs Today Winter1984-OCR

Explorer Scouts participating in a search and arrest event conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administra
tion.
Criminal Investigation Division; and Howard Runyon, First Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Also in attendance was North Cen tral Regional Commissioner of Customs Peter J. Dispenzirie, within whose region the conference was held.
The activity-filled program included law enforcement-related competitive events, individual events, law enforce ment seminars and exhibits.
Teams of Explorers competed in
police-oriented, role-playing scenarios that tested their skills in handling
domestic crises, arrest and search tech
niques, crime scene searches, hostage
negotiations and moot court testimony. Individual competitive events in
cluded a police physical agility test,
.38-caliber pistol competition and air
pistol competition.
A wide range of Federal agencies
and law enforcement associations con ducted the following seminars: Use of
Psychology in Law Enforcement; Nar cotics and Dangerous Drugs; Trends in Law Enforcement Education and Em
ployment; Women in Law Enforcement;
Organized Crime; White Collar Crime; Arson and Bombing Matters; Surveil
lance Techniques; Forensics as a Law Enforcement Resource; International
Terrorism; Special Operations and
SWAT; Ethics and the Law.
The manned exhibits displayed
throughout the week, many of them show casing the latest in law enforcement
technology, represented more than 20 Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the awards presented for team and individual competitive
events, various agencies presented
scholarships and awards to Explorers and Explorer posts in recognition of note
worthy law enforcement-related acts or achievements.
A mid-week conference highlight was an evening program called "A Night of Stars," which featured the conference keynote address by Counselor to the President Edwin Meese III, followed by appearances by comedienne Phyllis Diller, singer Mark Preston, rock musi cian Ted Nugent, actors Jill Whelan and Kent McCord and former NFL football
player Rosy Grier.
The following evening, the Explorers
were afforded the unusual opportunity of listening to five leaders in the law en
forcement world talk about law enforce ment in their own countries and discuss
problems common to police organiza tions around the world. The program
also allowed Explorers to ask questions of
the five officials: Lieutenant General Pow
Sarasin, Commissioner of the Central In
vestigation Bureau of the Royal Police of
Thailand; Commander Yeheskel Carthy, Director of the Criminal Investigations
Bureau of the Israel National Police; Dr. Howard Boge, head of the National Cen tral Bureau of the ICPO-Interpol for the Federal Republic of Germany; Deputy Commissioner Thomas Stanley Venner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and FBI Director William Webster.
During the conference's concluding
ceremony, it was announced that U.S. Customs Commissioner William von
Raab had accepted the offer to chair the 1984 National Law Enforcement Ex
plorer Conference scheduled for next
June at Ohio State University. Commissioner von Raab said he
considered it "a great honor and privilege to be offered the chairmanship, and a wonderful opportunity to be involved with young people in law enforcement.''
He said he feels the role of Explorers will be even greater in the future, with
posts becoming more expert and sophis ticated and more involved with law en
forcement agencies.
"Well trained Explorers can be of
material assistance to the Customs Serv
ice," he said, "especially in our South west border area. They can help with communications issues, with intelligence analysis, and with limited surveillance."
The first U.S. Customs Law En forcement Explorer post has been estab lished in Laredo, Tex., and others are ex
pected to be formed in various parts of the
county in the near future.
Commissioner von Raab is encou
raging nationwide Customs participation in the Law Enforcement Explorer pro
gram, and he hopes to see Customs well
represented among posts attending the conference he will chair next summer.
Clifton V. Stallings is Public Affairs Officer, North Central Region.