Hennepin County sheriff gives talk on counterterrorism

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek delivered the closing remarks Friday at an international conference on counterterrorism held in New York City.

Stanek is the president of the Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Alumni Association, which hosted the conference. He said the event explored many facets of counter-terrorism, including how to prevent terror groups from radicalizing young people.

It was helpful for law enforcement officials from around the world to compare strategies on how to react to terror attacks, he said.

"We have things like San Bernadino and Garland, Texas and other places and we know what the future might hold for us here in the U.S.," Stanek said. "We can learn from our partners. We can learn from what's happened in the past in other countries."

Stanek said he also talked about the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office's outreach efforts to the Somali and other East African immigrant communities as a way to combat radicalization.

"That's what we've been doing here at the Sheriff's Office and with local law enforcement in the Twin Cities every single day — building strong, solid relationships," he said.

The Leadership in Counter-Terrorism program includes law enforcement leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S.