This will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling - Blackwater and Univerity of Illinois team up.

[JohnyCanuck]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ANNE TYRRELL [phone]

July 20, 2007

Blackwater USA and University of Illinois Police Training Institute Announce Partnership

Moyock, NC – Blackwater USA is pleased to announce its newly formed partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Police Training Institute (PTI). Together we will pursue international and domestic training opportunities to better equip law enforcement agencies and officers to serve their communities.

“We are always looking for opportunities to assist in the training of American law enforcement professionals,” said Blackwater Vice President for Training Jim Sierawski. “The University of Illinois PTI has a proven record of excellence in equipping officers to do their jobs as best as possible and we look forward to working with them.”

The agreement is for a five-year period. Areas of cooperation will include:

Exchange of faculty and instructors
Exchange of students
Joint research activities
Joint planning efforts
Participation in seminars and training and academic meetings
Exchange of materials and information
Special short-term academic programs

Blackwater Training Center is the most comprehensive private tactical training facility in the United States. On 7,000 acres of private land, Blackwater has trained more than 50,000 law enforcement, military personnel. Visit www.blackwaterusa.com.

The Police Training Institute on the University of Illinois campus combines training and education to provide students with the philosophical base, skills, and decision-making abilities requisite to maintaining an ordered and safe society. Visit www.pti.uiuc.edu.

http://www.blackwaterusa.com/press/UofIpartnership.asp

[Lint Head]

1. A private killing machine. Just what we need to make sure

fascism survives. :dem:

[Demeter]

2. Nice Way to Launder a Really Bad Idea!

Good way to discredit the University of Illinois Police Training Institute!

[Peregrine Took]

3. Its a crying shame Blackwater has moved into the lovely "Mt. Carroll"

area in bucolic, rolling northwestern Illinois. I was really shocked when I heard about it as we were planning on moving to nearby Galena at one point.

[spindrifter]

4. I'd be calling for the resignations of

the board of regents or whoever the governing body of the University is over this. What are they thinking, other than filthy lucre?

[Rincewind]

6. Tom Dempsey

is the director of the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois. He signed the agreement with Blackwater. The agreement is supposedly for domestic law-enforcement training, and not any military training. Mr. Dempsey has asked for a leave of absence to work in Afghanistan, as a consultant for Blackwater. A little fact that he neglected to mention to the University. The University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign, where I live, is now investigating Mr. Dempsey for conflict of interest, and violating University policy.

[JVS]

5. is this now supposed to be a feeder program to provide a steady supply of brutal police for Chicago?

[whistle]

7. I did get a fuzzy feeling across the back of my neck

:mad:

[madrchsod]

8. blackwater is about 35 miles from me...

there is a local group that is hounding the jo davis county board not to grant anymore zoning changes for blackwater. they`ll be around here for a long time but whether they expand is another story