Posted by the Office of Public Affairs
Every year, the International Criminal Police Organization, better known as INTERPOL, comes together at its General Assembly to discuss the organization’s priorities and to elect the members of its governing board—the Executive Committee.
This year, at the 81st INTERPOL General Assembly held in Rome, Italy, DHS Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Alan Bersin was elected to serve a three-year term as Vice President for the Americas on the INTERPOL Executive Committee. Mr. Bersin was elected with overwhelming support from the approximately 170 member countries in attendance. This year’s assembly also saw the largest U.S. delegation in history, reflecting the important role INTERPOL plays in international security, and in the security of the United States.
During his keynote address, Mr. Bersin underscored the need to work together on border security to combat transnational crime, and the importance of information-sharing between various law enforcement agencies and with INTERPOL. DHS currently utilizes INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document database every day to verify the travel documents of travelers seeking to enter the United States.
Mr. Bersin will continue to serve in his current role as Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s principal advisor on international affairs, and through his new responsibilities, work on advancing DHS’ collaboration with the world’s largest international law enforcement organization and its member countries.
In October, Secretary Napolitano visited the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, where she signed joint statements with Secretary General Ron Noble to further enhance cooperation between DHS and INTERPOL on border management and human trafficking.