Sheriff's deputies say 'bonjour' to out-of-town guests

Photos by SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers FOREIGN EXCHANGE--French National Police motorcycle officers line up in front of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station in Calabasas during a press conference Monday morning. The 30 police officers are visiting Southern California to meet with local law enforcement agencies to trade crime fighting strategies during a 10-day event. Below right, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Al Zardeneta and Detective Daniel Arwandi welcome French National Police Brigadier Georgino Seraphin. Consul General Philippe Larrieu beamed with delight as he observed his polished troops standing in front of their motorcycles outside the Lost Hills Sheriff 's Station Monday morning.

A delegation of 30 French National Police officers and their superiors had come to the Calabasas station on a mission to learn how their American counterparts enforce the law.

"The goal is to foster cooperation in the fight against organized crime and terrorism," Larrieu said.

The French police were invited to California to participate in a 10-day program that includes strategy and training sessions with local law enforcement agencies and a visit to the 2007 Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills to see how American police handle crowd security.

The officers will work on joint training exercises with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department. They will share savoir-faire on a variety of topics, including equipment, recruiting and training.

"It's an ambitious project that took two years to organize," Larrieu said.

According to Franck Feucher, a captain in the French police, a private individual in France paid for the officers' airfare to the U.S. and a French maritime company sponsored the transport of the motorcycles.

The French police use the Yamaha bikes to escort dignitaries, respond to emergencies and handle everyday police duties.

Although largely symbolic, the visit also has functional benefits, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca at a Calabasas press conference.

While in Southern California, the French officers will spend time on the roads to observe local law enforcement practices and will attend public events to see how the agencies deal with crowd control.

SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers TEAMING UP-- French National Police Commissaire Vincent Messager compares notes with Deps. Britta Kjellstrand and Kelley Frazier. "It means a great deal to us because officers face the same obstacles and dangers, so this bonds us," said Wallace Carr, a motorcycle officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.

The officers will take part in joint motorcycle rides and experience a sharing of cultures that will strengthen the bond between the two nations, Baca said.

"We have mutual goals and missions to enforce the law and traffic safety," said Chief Gary Dominguez of the California Highway Patrol.