Source: The Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1131359746108320.xml&coll=2

On November 7, 2005 The Plain Dealer reported, "12 Ohio lawmen... were escorted by a cadre of bodyguards as they toured Turkey in 2004, and in each city they were greeted, fed and indulged like stars... The trip to the vast country that straddles Europe and Asia was years in the making and one that solidified a police partnership between a Midwestern state and a secular Muslim country of 69 million. For five years, as they discussed police work, their countries and religion, the members of the two forces had built trust and respect for each other. Today, 11 Turkish commanders are to arrive in Ohio to study with police departments around the state. Some will stay for additional schooling. The Turkish police have seen firsthand the American democratic model of policing -- training that they hope will help the huge Turkish force shed its reputation for rough interrogation, torture and unreasonable arrests that trample on civil liberties. And Ohio officers know that Turkey is decades ahead in dealing with the local seeds of terrorist threats. Turkish officers can also help Ohio officers better understand the state's growing Muslim communities, which are estimated to number 150,000 people, according to the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations."