In a push to get ahead of the escalating immigration issues that are seeping into New York, the NYPD is expanding its International Liaison Program to include posts in Tucson, Arizona, and Bogota, Colombia. The expansion, announced at the annual State of the NYPD address, signifies NYPD's proactive stance against illegal drugs, guns, and the surge of migrants that affect the city's landscape.
As reported by the New York Post, these liaisons will assist the force in tackling the "myriad issues" emanating from the southern border, which include "guns to drugs to people," according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner. The officer in Tucson will sit with U.S Customs & Border Protection, coordinating on threats such as fentanyl searches and tracking criminal organizations with footholds in the city. The Bogota post will delve into migration routes and drug trafficking, working closely with the Colombian National Police.
'We're not going to wait for the problem to come to us. We're not going to say this is someone else's responsibility. It's our job to protect our city, and so we have to do that by understanding really at the root of the problem is how these scourges that I mentioned are coming to New York,' Weiner articulated during the address.
Prior to the expansion, the NYPD had 18 officers in 14 global locations. Now totaling 16, the NYPD's international presence is a reflection of the intricate web of issues that tether the globe to the streets of New York. According to an interview obtained by AZ Family, Deputy Commissioner Weiner expressed the necessary immersion at our borders to understand the migrant crisis. "In Tucson, we're going to be joining a state-of-the-art, interagency facility run by Customs and Border Protection that combines state, local, and federal officials," Weiner detailed the collaborative efforts that the NYPD is pursuing.
The Southern Border Intelligence Center, a hub for collaboration among various agencies, opened in April of 2023, and officials believe that the NYPD's presence there will further hone the intelligence that secures the nation's borders. They intend to build a comprehensive understanding of border security issues by leveraging interagency cooperation. With liaisons positioned strategically around the world, the NYPD aims to extend its reach, preemptively safeguarding the city from the multifaceted perils that originate far beyond its borders.
