(Above) Diplomacy Council members enjoyed introducing the delegates to the area.
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The April 2009 West Bank Delegation
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In late April we hosted a group of four West Bank women whose program focused on "Combating Violence Against Women." One delegate was a policewoman, another was a social worker employed by a West Bank battered women's shelter, the third was an attorney, and the fourth was a judge. All specialized in women's rights and the prevention of domestic abuse. Sue Hand, Executive Director of Favor House of Northwest Florida, and Pensacola Junior College Chief of Police Nancy A. Newland arranged the appointments for this group. Board member Jania Kietzmann welcomed them at the airport upon their arrival.
Dr. Kimberly Womack gave the delegation a tour of Baptist Hospital's emergency room area and an overview of victim processing for rape cases. Pensacola was the fourth of seven cities on their trip across America and the Baptist Hospital appointment was their first in Pensacola. Following that hands-on experience, the delegates proclaimed it as the most useful of all their appointments. Next, the delegates went to the Favor House office and then to the Favor House shelter where Sue Hand and Fred Sulzbach discussed programs and Valerie Love gave them a tour of the facility and explained procedures. The delegates were especially interested in the men's education programs administered by the organization.
At the Criminal Justice & Social Work Department of the University of West Florida, Dr. Richard Hough and Dr. Kimberly Tatum held a roundtable discussion with other UWF faculty & students focusing on fatality review procedures. Discussion continued at the Escambia County Sheriff's Department where Sgt Carol Turner, Chief Deputy Bill Chavers, Robbie Leverett, David Craig, and others met with the delegates to cover sex crimes and victim advocacy.
At the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Beth Greene, Chief of Forensic Services and President-Elect of the American Society of Crime Lab Directors, Magda Clanton, Biology and Evidence Supervisor, and their many colleagues presented the delegation with a room-to-room, station-to-station overview focusing on crime scenes, evidence collection, and the stages of processing. By the end of the tour, FDLE had exposed the delegates to the guidelines on chain of custody of sexual assault evidence, the submission of said evidence, its storage and preservation, and conventional serology screening techniques. They also gave the delegates an overview of DNA testing and the equipment used for it.
During their free time in Pensacola, the group enjoyed time sunning on the beach, shopping at Cordova Mall, and dining at The Fish House & Dharma Blue. The Honorable Elizabeth Timothy, along with husband Edward Cangelosi, entertained the judge, the attorney, and their US Dept of State translator. They were joined by Dr. Mike Moyses, Dr. Donna Corder, Dr. Aref Rifai, and Rasha Rifai. Across town, Jania Kietzmann and sister Anne Marie hosted another dinner for the policewoman, social worker, and their interpreter. Sandra Lechuga, Jigisha Patel, Ada Caceres, and Jena Melancon joined in the fun.
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| At Baptist Hospital |
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| Volunteer Barbara Henry with delegates |
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| With Sue & Fred of Favor House |
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| Jania with her home hospitality guests |
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| Observing tests at the FDLE |
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| At the FDLE, the delegates received Honorary Citizenship with the City of Pensacola |
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| FDLE lab visit |
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| At the Escambia County Sheriff's Office |
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| Learning about investigative techniques |
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| At the Criminal Justice & Social Work Dept, UWF |
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To see all of our delegation photos, go to www.pnj.com & enter "citizendiplomacy" (one word) under the "Search People" feature. Once on our page, select the photos box to find photo folders organized by event.
Visit our calendar to view upcoming events and to see how you can become involved with the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council.
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