US, India work together to Counter-Terrorism says Chivukula

Trenton, NJ: Assembly Homeland Security Vice Chair Upendra J. Chivukula recently toured the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC) of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) with Mumbai Police Chief Dr. S. P. Singh, following a presentation to state police on the lessons learned from the Mumbai Terror Attacks.

Singh's presentation at the New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center followed his visit to Washington as part of a delegation headed by Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. The visit, to further U.S.-India security cooperation on counter-terrorism, included a second meeting with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. The first meeting with Napolitano took place during her 2011 India visit. The delegation also visited America's top counter-terrorism center.

"It is crucial that the United States and India continue their cooperation on counter-terrorism. Both our nations have suffered a terrible tragedy during the terrorist strikes of 9/11 in 2001 and the Mumbai Terror Attacks of 11/26 in 2008, " Chivukula (D-Somerset\Middlesex) said.

"There is a lot that New Jersey and Mumbai can learn from each other by sharing information and strategies on homeland security. The meet and greet between Mumbai's Police Chief and our state troopers was a bold first step. I commend Lt. Colonel Jerome Hatfield and Dr. Mukesh Roy for helping facilitate the initiative and will continue to rally support among lawmakers and the administration to enhance cooperation between our state's homeland security and their counterparts in India," Chivukula added.

"There are many take aways from my meet and greet with the New Jersey State Police as well as the tour of the ROIC. The fact that every state department has representation in the operation center is a valuable and effective strategy. It was useful for me to learn firsthand how the NJSP coordinates with representatives from the public sector for the purpose of emergency management," said Singh.

Singh was invited to tour ROIC and address state troopers by Hatfield, deputy superintendent of the Homeland Security Branch for the NJSP, at the request of Dr. Mukesh Roy, past chair of the NJ Homeland Security Healthcare Public Health Sector Working & the director of Public Health Preparedness and Response for Ocean County. He reciprocated by inviting the NJSP to visit Mumbai's police operations.

Dr. Singh's presentation to state troopers included special police training and exercises that were introduced in the aftermath of the Mumbai Terror Attacks as well as the development of a cyber crimes unit. He also told a packed auditorium of state troopers that the Mumbai Police has started running public service announcements at movie theaters, calling for cooperation and vigilance from the city's citizens in the fight against terrorism.

Captain Robert C. Yaiser, who serves as the executive officer in the Special Operations Section of the Homeland Security Branch of the NJSP presided over the talk by Singh.

'The New Jersey State Police concurs with Assembly Homeland Security Vice Chair Chivukula and Dr. Singh on the need for law enforcement to collaborate with intelligence and information sharing. These tenets should resonate with all law enforcement throughout the United States and abroad. With a distinguished career spanning over 35 years in law enforcement, Dr. Singh is recognized as a true expert in his field. We are grateful and privileged today to have Dr. Singh as a guest lecturer and thank Assemblyman Chivukula and Dr. Roy for helping facilitate the initiative," Yaiser said.

The ROIC tour for Singh and Chivukula was provided by William J. Kelleher, a senior planner for the Emergency Management Section of the Homeland Security Branch of the NJSP and Sergeant Jeremy Russ, from the Intelligence Service Bureau of ROIC.

The NJ ROIC is one of the original "primary" state fusion centers in the U.S. designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its primary mission is to interface with the state's law enforcement community and other law enforcement and homeland security agencies, by being a primary point of contact for collection, evaluation, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence data and criminal background information in a timely and effective manner in order to detect and\or prevent criminal or terrorist activity and to solve crimes.