Israeli Experts Teach Police On Terrorism

"They told us that the longer the scene is left there, the more traumatizing it becomes," Lanier said. "They clean and clear as quickly as they can. The suicide bomber is dead. There's not this meticulous combing for evidence in every case."

The American police were particularly moved by the candor and openness of the Israeli police. U.S. Capitol Police Deputy Chief Larry D. Thompson recounted the story of a young Israeli couple, Shlomi and Ronit Tubel, who met with the group and spoke of their experience as police officers.

About two years ago, Shlomi called his wife at home to warn her that Israeli intelligence indicated a suicide bomber was headed toward Jerusalem. His wife, Ronit, then took their baby to day care and boarded a bus to her police station.

The suicide bomber was on her bus.

Standing behind her, he detonated, and Ronit was blown through the roof.

Shlomi ended up working the bombing with Levy but had no idea Ronit was on the bus. He began to worry when he had not heard from her. Levy told him that officers found her police identification card at the scene and that she might be dead.

Shlomi found her at the hospital, suffering from massive injuries. He recognized her only by her wedding band.

Ronit eventually recovered and returned to her police duties. She suffers some hearing loss, and pieces of shrapnel remain in her body.

"There was not a police chief in the room not in tears," Lanier said. "She had to learn how to walk, how to feed herself, how to talk all over again."

Ronit told the group that she has made one change in her life: She doesn't ride the bus anymore.

A Counterterrorism Road Show

For the thousands of law enforcement officials who cannot go to Israel, Levy and other Israelis are meeting with them here. At conferences in Minnesota, California and Florida, Israeli counterterrorism experts have made presentations on gathering intelligence, biological threats, the psychology of terrorism, understanding the enemy and suicide bombers.

Last year, Perry, the Israeli commander of the bomb disposal unit and a former member of the Mossad, Israel's central intelligence agency, briefed more than 425 top federal and local law enforcement officials from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania at a conference at Princeton University. This month, Levy and Perry will be in Chicago.

At the conferences, the Israelis describe how they work in three circles of security. First, they have prevented many attacks by gathering accurate intelligence before terrorists begin their operations.

"They talked about how you have to disrupt the supply chain of what terrorists use to make suicide vests and explosives and electronics," said Morten, the Los Angeles detective.

Second, they set up checkpoints or other ways to delay attackers.

"It only takes suicide bombers in Israel 20 minutes to get to any major city," Perry said. The Israelis shared confidential information about how they spotted and intercepted 12 bombers on their way to Jerusalem last year.

If a bomber gets through the checkpoints, the Israelis have "hardened" their restaurants and malls, where shoppers are searched with a magnetometer.

A final lesson from the Israelis: If the intelligence, checkpoints and hardened security fail and a suicide bomber detonates, have a response plan ready. Emotion takes over and even the most experienced police officer is shaken by the chaos.

One particular bombing haunts Levy. After a Palestinian exploded on a bus in Jerusalem and the survivors were rushed to the hospital, Levy boarded the blackened and gutted bus.

Out of the devastation, he suddenly heard a tiny voice: Can you help me?

Underneath a lifeless body, he found a 7-year-old girl, bloody, with her backpack still on. She had been on the way to school.

"I stayed strong," Levy said.

"But afterwards I drove to my house alone without a driver. I went to my room and I remembered the picture of what I had seen. So many people, so many children died.

"Alone in my bed, I cried and cried," said Levy, who has four children of his own. "The next morning I came back to my office, where I must be strong because my officers were looking at me. And a new day started."