HAPCOA National Board Member Meets with US State Department Sponsored Delegation

On Friday, January 19^th, Manny Ovalle, National Board Member of HAPCOA, met with a group of police officers and government officials from Latin America. The group was in the US as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), sponsored by the US Department of State. IVLP is the Department of State’s premier professional exchange program that invites current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields to experience the US firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with American counterparts.

This group was in the US for three-weeks on a project titled, “Law Enforcement: Community Policing”. Their program was organized by Graduate School USA, a local non-profit that implements IVLP in cooperation with the State Department. The group included participants from various countries including: Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. During their program, they met with various counterparts in Washington, DC, Albany, NY, Cincinnati, OH, and Salt Lake City, UT. 

While in DC, the group met with Mr. Ovalle to discuss the work of HAPCOA both domestically and abroad. Mr. Ovalle also provided unique perspective given his extensive background in the Secret Service. The participants felt they had a very meaningful exchange with Mr. Ovalle, including discussions on police training requirements and pension obligations.