Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4036 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: DECEMBER 2016 Chief opens home to cadets from Brazil Mike Horak is hopeful his fellow chiefs around the coun- try will have the opportunity to get involved with one of these exchange programs. “Anytime you can exchange knowledge and culture with officers from other countries F or the second year in a row, Eastfield College Police Chief Michael Horak invited ca- dets from the Barro Branco Police Academy in Brazil to train with cops in Texas. And Mike went that extra mile that is often required to make these exchange pro- grams a big success – he in- vited the cadets, who ranged between the ages of 18 and 25, to stay at his house where they enjoyed trying local food including lots of great barbecue – and the culture of the Dallas area. “It was a blessing to share myfamilyandhouseholdwith them,” Horak said. “They were extremely thankful and gracious. The stories, meals, and just hanging around watching movies and play- ing video games are times me and my family will never forget. Those young people are like sons and daughters to me.” The two-week summer interchange between the Sao Paulo and Eastfield police departments had the cadets working alongside cops from the Mesquite, Garland and Eastfield police departments, as well as the Texas Rangers Special Response Teams in Waco. The cadets are confident the skills they learned during their stay in Texas will help improve conditions in Sao Paulo. After observing how Amer- ican police and civilians interact, and strengthening their tactics and weapons handling skills, they were ready to head back and do their part to better police relations in Brazil, build a solid relationship with the communities they serve, and more effectively enforce laws and protect civilians. This was the second year Mike Horak organized the exchange, and it’s become a passion for the veteran law enforcement officer. “The idea for an exchange took hold back in 2013 when Biggest lesson learned? To be effective, law enforcement should stay close to the community I met Carlos Pires, a can- didate for lieutenant at the Barro Branco Academy,” Horak said. “He could see right away the value of run- ning this kind of exchange program and together we made it happen.” Horak added that it was amazing that two officers from completely different countries could could work together on an exchange program where officers from Brazil and the United States could share their culture as well as their different tech- nologies, philosophies, and methodologies. Brazil is a tough place for a law enforcement officer. Overcrowded prisons and reports of widespread corrup- tion and violence attributed to previous generations of police have damaged public perception. One thing that is similar is the fact that many parents are not all that enthused about their kids going into a career in law enforcement. Several of the Brazilian cadets talked about the struggle to get the support of their parents for their career decision to join the Military Police. “Before this, I was a school teacher,” Cadet Andre Ros- chel told James Hartley, a reporter at Eastfield Et Cetera. “I am the only police officer in my family. They didn’t support me in the beginning, but now they are happy. It’s the best job in the world.” For the cadets, Academy life is far from easy. “You’ve got to go through three years – you go through hell,” Cadet Pedro Mattos said. “There are a lot of re- strictions, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s our motto.” “In Garland’s police de- partment they have three fallen officers in their whole history. In Brazil, we lost three officers just last month,” Roschel said. “I think that the most important thing that we’ve learned here is that the police must be close to the society.” you learn so much,” Mike said. “I guaran- tee the relationships you build and the ex- periences you share will be invaluable and you will remem- ber them forever.” At top, Brazilian cadets test their skills at the shooting range. Above, Eastfield College Police Chief Michael Horak who had a vision to do this program and then made it happen. On left, cadets at the gun shop. Photos courtesy James Hartley/ The ET Cetera. Here’s the first group Mike Horak and his team hosted from Brazil. Left to right: Oswaldo de Andrade Filhom, Carlos Henrique Pires, Julia Maria Faraula dos Santos, Bruno Henrique Barbosa, Fernanda Monma, Pedro Henrique Stradioto Martins, Mariana Carolina Santana de Brito and Diego Manoel de Souza.