The Diplomatic Security Service is a branch of the U.S. Department of State and works to protect government officials such as the secretary of state as well as foreign politicians who are visiting for international events and conferences. They have over 30 offices across the country, one of which is in Miami and serves the South Florida area.
The Miami field office hosted a premier training program for local law enforcement officials and community partners to help educate attendees on diplomatic protection and services. The training takes place both inside a classroom setting and outside the classroom in practical and observed applications of the training.
Peter Kapoukakis is the special agent in charge of Diplomatic Security Services in the Miami field office. He said that the training they are providing for local law enforcement officers from Nov. 8 through Nov. 12 is important because it gives them the education to aid DSS officers in protecting diplomats and other important individuals visiting the South Florida area.
“It’s based on practices, procedures and techniques that we deploy all throughout the United States,” Kapoukakis said.
Attendees are taught about all of the different elements to keep in mind when acting as a diplomatic security officer. The training took place both inside a classroom setting and outside the classroom in practical and observed applications of the training.
“The training involves the organization of a protective detail, the defensive tactics and identifying pre-attack scenarios on principle,” Kapoukakis described. “It also involves security vehicle operations, things like motorcade movements and the participants that are involved.” he added.
Kapoukakis clarified that while DSS would always rather avoid an attack, it is best to prepare officers in the event that one happens. The training, while involving practices that are applied throughout the United States, is geared towards examples using South Florida as a geographical location.
“Miami and South Florida are more rural environments, but we can take advantage of some of the great weather we’ve been having and look to replicate what a VIP or protected government official might do during a visit to South Florida,” Kapoukakis said.
Learning about how the DSS Miami field office operates and the important training they host is beneficial for students interested in criminal justice and law practices. Not only is the Miami field office holding this premier training program for law enforcement, but DSS also deals with national security issues such as passport fraud and human trafficking.
“I know that [NSU] was ranked as the number one criminal justice college by Universities Conference 2021, which is fantastic. I think learning about DSS is a great opportunity for criminal justice majors or anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in public service to look at diplomatic security as a really viable and fulfilling career option.” said Kapoukakis.
