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Continuing the successful cooperation between Jelgava and its sister city Carmel (USA), two officers from the Jelgava Municipal Police have travelled to Indiana today for a week-long professional exchange. They will arrive in the United States tomorrow and, from September 21 to 27, will work alongside Carmel law enforcement officers, taking part in joint patrols and gaining insight into police work in the United States.

In August this year, the Jelgava Municipal Police received an invitation for its officers to participate in the professional exchange programme again this year. Two patrol police officers have travelled to Carmel – Māris Vēveris, who has been working for the municipal police for 13 years, and Eduards Grīnbergs, who has seven years of service with the municipal police. The officers were selected through an internal competition, in which their English-language skills, professional achievements and length of service with the Jelgava Municipal Police were assessed.

On September 21, the Jelgava Municipal Police officers will begin working alongside Carmel police officers. “This is definitely a unique opportunity to gain new experience. I want to learn firsthand how daily police operations are organised in the United States, as well as observe operational tactics and the use of technology in real-life situations. My main goal is to bring home new ideas, gain a better understanding of their training system and explore innovative solutions that could eventually be adapted to improve the efficiency of our own police work and enhance public safety in Jelgava,” says M. Vēveris.

During the exchange, the officers also plan to take an in-depth look at how U.S. law enforcement agencies engage in dialogue with the public, de-escalate conflict situations, use crisis communication and cooperate with local communities. E. Grīnbergs adds that he would like to learn about the tactics Carmel police officers use in their daily work with aggressive individuals, as well as see the equipment and vehicles they use.

The Jelgava officers are expected to work alongside Carmel law enforcement officers on a daily basis, gaining insight into the everyday operations of the Carmel Police Department. They will also meet with the Honorary Consul of Latvia in Indiana and the Mayor of Carmel, visit the Carmel County Jail, attend the Police Academy, participate in K9 police training, and take part in both theoretical and practical police training sessions.

It should be noted that the exchange programme is one of the initiatives included in the cooperation programme between Jelgava and Carmel. To date, several Jelgava Municipal Police officers have participated in professional exchanges in Carmel, while on one occasion Jelgava hosted two police officers from Carmel.

Carmel is a city in the state of Indiana with a population of more than 100,000.

This article has been translated from Latvian to English using the help of ChatGPT AI.