Global Police Leaders Unite in Berlin to Launch Landmark Democratic Policing Initiative

Historic transatlantic agreement signals coordinated effort to protect vulnerable communities and strengthen democratic institutions amid rising global threats

Berlin, Germany, April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a historic gathering of international law enforcement leadership, senior police officials and associations from Europe and North America today signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Berlin, formally launching a new transnational effort: “Not on Our Watch – The Democratic Policing Initiative.”

The agreement brings together the German Police Union (GdP), the European Federation of Police Unions (EU.Pol), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association (SRLEEA), and the International Police Delegation, in collaboration with leading academic institutions including Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience and the University of Virginia’s Center for Public Safety and Justice.

Signed in Berlin ahead of the 2026 international law enforcement delegation to Poland, the MOU establishes a five-year cooperative framework focused on strengthening democratic policing, enhancing international coordination, and protecting vulnerable communities facing rising extremist threats.

“This is not symbolic,” said Paul Goldenberg, Chair of the International Police Delegation and leader of the Not on Our Watch initiative. “History shows that democratic institutions rarely fail all at once; they erode. When policing loses its moral clarity or independence, societies follow. This initiative is about ensuring that law enforcement leaders recognize those early warning signs and act together before that erosion becomes irreversible.”

The MOU formalizes a shared commitment among participating organizations to:

• Strengthen early threat detection and intelligence-sharing across borders
• Develop joint training focused on community protection, de-escalation, and ethical decision-making
• Establish coordinated operational responses to emerging extremist threats
• Reinforce democratic values, constitutional policing, and public trust
• Support officer well-being and resilience in high-pressure environments
  

The initiative emerges at a time of increasing global concern around rising antisemitism, targeted violence, political polarization, and sustained pressure on democratic institutions.

“Police are not just responders to crisis; they are a stabilizing force within democratic society,” said Jochen Kopelke. “This agreement reflects a shared responsibility across borders to protect vulnerable communities and ensure that the institutions meant to safeguard democracy remain strong, independent, and accountable.”

The Berlin signing marks the formal launch of what organizers describe as a long-term operational alliance, transitioning the Not on Our Watch: Operationalizing Never Again (ONA) program from an annual convening into a sustained international initiative.

In the days following the signing, more than 130 senior law enforcement leaders from around the world will convene in Kraków, Poland to participate in executive-level sessions and the International March of the Living, connecting the lessons of history with the realities of modern policing.

This is the first known agreement of its kind bringing together major North American policing associations and European police unions in a coordinated effort focused explicitly on democratic resilience and the protection of vulnerable communities.

About Not on Our Watch: Operationalizing Never Again (ONA)

Not on Our Watch: Operationalizing Never Again is a global executive-level initiative that translates the lessons of democratic breakdown into practical, modern policing doctrine. The program convenes senior law enforcement leaders across borders to strengthen democratic resilience, reinforce institutional accountability, and protect vulnerable communities through applied training and sustained international collaboration.

About the Democratic Policing Initiative

The Democratic Policing Initiative is a five-year international framework established through the Berlin MOU, designed to operationalize cooperation among police organizations across Europe and North America. The initiative focuses on strengthening democratic institutions through coordinated policing strategies, training, and leadership alignment.

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