Today@Sam Article

SHSU College Of Criminal Justice Hosts Delegation From Korean National Police

June 26, 2023
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

The Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) was honored to host a delegation from the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA). The group’s visit is part of a special domestic violence training program with the Houston Police Department (HPD).

The training with HPD and the resulting SHSU campus visit came about after SHSU CJ Professor Bitna Kim approached Greg Fremin, SHSU CJ Internship director and Department of Victim Studies lecturer, with a request to assist the KNPA with training.

“I was first contacted by Changbae Lee, a professor at Donguk University in Korea,” Kim said. “There’s been an increasing need inside and outside the USA for evidence-based practices and programs through practitioner training and practitioner-academic partnerships.”

Fremin, a retired captain with the Houston Police Department, collaborated with HPD to make it happen.

“Kim mentioned that she had a police colleague in South Korea that was very interested in bringing their team of police officials to America to learn more about how American law enforcement trains for domestic violence situations,” Fremin said. “The Houston Police Department has a long history, just like SHSU, of hosting international police agencies.”

Fremin said almost immediately after his initial contact with the Houston Police Department, lesson plans and a training itinerary were created by HPD, who facilitated the training at their police academy.

"The Houston Police Department was greatly honored to partner with Sam Houston State University in hosting the Korean National Police Agency in this historic visit,” HPD Assistant Chief Chandra Hatcher said. “Our agency has had a long-standing partnership with SHSU, specifically with collaborating with international police agencies, and having this unique opportunity to train the KNPA allowed our department to showcase the professionalism of the men and women with HPD. We were so impressed with Superintendent Lee and his colleagues and look forward to strengthening our international relationship with the KNPA."

Ahead of their visit to the United States, the Korean National Police Agency representatives indicated they were very interested in touring the Sam Houston State University campus to learn more about the academic side of criminal justice in the U.S. After a reception and presentation from SHSU College of Criminal Justice Dean and Director, Phillip Lyons, the group spent the afternoon touring the campus, which included a visit to the SHSU CJ Department of Forensic Science’s facilities. A visit the group said they thoroughly enjoyed.

“I have already heard very positive feedback about the quality of the training and welcoming experience they received from our college,” Kim said. “There is no doubt this delegation visit will lead to more collaborations between SHSU and the Korean National Police in the future.”  

“This was an incredible visit for them,” Fremin said. “They would tell me often that this was the most memorable event of their life and the hospitality they received by SHSU and HPD was unprecedented and something that they would never forget.”

Superintendent Kilchan Lee with the Korean National Police Agency said they hope to explore additional opportunities with the SHSU College of Criminal Justice.

“As the most prestigious and most established college of criminal justice in the U.S., various and systematic programs to set national standards in the field in both research and practice were very impressive,” Lee said. “I hope we engage in a wider range of academic cooperation to build up police capacity in the future.”

Kim added that she has been contacted by other law enforcement agencies about possible future collaborations.

“Due to our college's reputation for having great resources on campus and strong connections with agencies around the region, this visit may serve as a springboard to further collaborative efforts between our college and multi-agencies in Korea,” Kim said.

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