PNP TO FORGE ALLIANCE WITH NEW YORK'S FINEST

WASHINGTON D.C. A Sinatra ditty promised that if you can make it in New York “you can make it anywhere” – a standard the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be testing as it forges a first-ever alliance with the New York Police Department (NYPD).

PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome is flying to the “Big Apple” on June 14 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NYPD chief Joseph Esposito.

“When that was conceptualized, the PNP wanted close coordination with the US police agencies to stop terrorist activities,” explained retired police Director Renato Heredia, a former police attaché in Washington DC.

The agreement will allow the NYPD to open a satellite office in the Philippines, mostly likely to be located within the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame. The PNP can also open a similar office in New York although this has to be threshed out when Bartolome meets his American counterparts because of the PNP’s limited funds.

Chief Supt. Armando Ramolete, police attaché, revealed that the MOU was years in the making. “There will be an exchange of information and training opportunities,” he said, adding that it could provide a mechanism for the PNP to modernize its crime-fighting tools.

The NYPD was established in 1845 and is considered the largest police force and 2^nd largest law enforcement agency in the US.

They have broad capabilities ranging from an Emergency Services unit to a Harbor Patrol to public transportation. The New York City Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Department were merged with the NYPD in 1995.

The NYPD also has one of the most sophisticated anti-crime computer network with an immense data warehouse.

“There have been many agreements between the Philippine and US police but this is significant because of the level of coordination as the NYPD will actually have an office at PNP headquarters,” Heredia told the Manila Mail.

“This will open a lot of opportunities for our personnel to develop their skills here in the US and vice-versa. This is a big thing for the PNP because we all know we have a lot of policemen who need training,” he stressed.