ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger speaking to the Lynn Rotary Club about his trip to Israel.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — Police Chief Kevin Coppinger recently traveled to Israel, a country he said writes the book on safety, despite routine terrorist activity.
Coppinger spoke to the Lynn Rotary Club Thursday afternoon about his Jan. 24 trip. He said he plans to incorporate some of the security tips he picked up in Israel.
One such security measure that left an impression on him was the screening process at Ben Gurion airport, the largest international airport in the country. Coppinger said he was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the airport, witnessing how baggage is screened and the facial recognition process.
Through facial recognition, Coppinger said the information is relayed to government agencies as criminal watch records. He was impressed by the extra level of security at the gate.
“Once you get on that plane, you feel tremendously safe,” Coppinger said.
Coppinger said the deep religious conflict in the Middle East leads to escalated instances of violence and acts of terrorism. He explained that Jerusalem is a divided city with Jews, Muslims, Arabs and Christians living in four quarters.
“One little incident could spark a war,” Coppinger said.
With religious friction, Coppinger said there is routine terrorist activity. His original trip was supposed to be in November, but was delayed to January because of terrorism. Since the public has adapted to the activity, he said there is a lot of cooperation between civilians and police.
Through his trip, Coppinger said he has made great contact with the Israelis. Around Lynn, he said “we have our share of homegrown terrorists,” citing the Boston Marathon bombings.
“It’s amazing to learn their techniques,” Coppinger said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at gcawley@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley