STUTTGART, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart held its third quarterly law enforcement synchronization meeting on Jan. 29, continuing to build strong partnerships with local German and U.S. Army agencies to ensure community safety.
The meetings are designed to help agencies understand each other's capabilities and establish direct points of contact, to streamline investigations and operations.
“Knowing each other helps better investigate, and more importantly we have a point of contact,” USAG Stuttgart Directorate of Emergency Services Police Chief Mark Pursel said. “If someone reaches out to me with a question I cannot answer, I can direct them to a person who can.”
U.S. Army Customs Chief Customs Inspector Brandon Oehler notes similar benefits of the meetings.
"We may not be aware of other organizations working under the same roof as we do,” he said. “There have been situations recently where we have been able to help thanks to these meetings."
Every sync has a different topic, and this time, special guest Postal Inspector Adel Valdes, spoke on the importance of mail security and inter-agency cooperation.
Valdes emphasized the value of building a sense of trust among the agency partners. “I believe everyone brings a unique skill to the table that will no doubt serve the community well.”
He states that these types of meetings are valuable thanks to the information exchange that happens as well as understanding what each agency manages.
"It builds a sense of trust among the partners which will spill over to the work and mission at hand," Valdes said.
This initiative emphasizes the garrison's commitment to its community by ensuring that professionally trained people are working together to provide a safe and secure environment.
“We all have one mission in common, to serve the community to the best of our abilities,” Pursel said.