It’s More Than Just Toys…Message Of Giving Spreads From Public Safety Workers To Kids

While the 8th Annual 911 Gives Hope for the Holidays brought in a record number of donations, the most touching aspect of the event is bigger than the toys themselves.

As countless volunteers from the public safety community staffed the event for 60 straight hours, we were all touched by the amount of children who came out to donate a toy for another child. They donated for a child they will never meet. All they know is hospitalized child may need that toy some day and they wanted to make sure that no child would be left out. We also had some kids who were giving back. They had received a toy while in the hospital and wanted to make sure they were able to pay it forward.

We saw Chucky Williams and Kameryn Dix organize a year long toy drive to help 911 Gives Hope. We had a young man with a big heart donate his birthday presents to other kids.

We can’t express our gratitude enough to all of the kids who helped make our toy drive a success. We can only stand back in amazement and know that our community will be in good hands long after we finish our careers.

CWAG Alliance Partnership Develops Cross-Border Legal Relationships  

INDIANAPOLIS – In recognition of his commitment and ongoing efforts to build relationships with attorney general counterparts in countries like Mexico and Cuba, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has been named to the Alliance Partnership of the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) Advisory Board.

Zoeller has been involved for several years in multi-state and bi-national efforts with other state AGs to combat international crime, and support rule of law in both the U.S. and Mexico.

“I am honored to continue my involvement in the Alliance Partnership and its mission,” Zoeller said.  “The issues we tackle are not isolated and require ongoing dialogue and training with our Latin American neighbors to advance the rule of law and in combating the cross-border issues like human trafficking and transnational violence.”

The Conference of Western Attorneys General coordinates the efforts of the Alliance Partnership which leverages funding from the State Department and other entities who support Rule of Law programming.  There are 42 United States Attorneys General Offices participating in the training of Mexican State Attorneys General Offices, and other Mexican justice and law enforcement entities.  CWAG has 34 participating Mexican jurisdictions and more than a dozen additional Mexican federal and State partnering agencies.

The most recent exchange occurred this past September when the Partnership sponsored Zoeller and a team of United States Attorneys General in an exchange in Cuba.  The team met with their Cuban counterparts and interacted with members of the Cuban legal community in an ongoing multi-state effort to combat human and drug trafficking.  The cost of the trip, and all trips, are handled by the Alliance Partnership and are not paid for with Indiana tax dollars.

“These exchanges offer valuable insights for every participant,” Zoeller added. “Despite differences in our legal systems, every country faces serious common problems and we need to collaborate to fight transnational crime.”

The September meetings in Cuba, were one of several previous meetings organized by the CWAG Alliance Partnership between state AGs from the U.S. and their counterparts in Mexico and other Latin American nations.

Zoeller has initiated partnerships between the Alliance Partnership and the Wilson Center.  In September 2010, Zoeller’s office hosted a training event , attended by 70 prosecutors and investigators from Mexico that focused on Mexico’s rule of law. Zoeller and former United States Senator, Richard Lugar keynoted that program.

In October 2015, Zoeller and a group of other state AGs from the U.S. attended a two-day conference in Mexico City and met with that nation’s criminal justice officials to discuss the problems of human trafficking, drug trafficking and Internet privacy.

Zoeller also serves as the National Association of Attorneys General liaison to the United States Trade Representative and is a member of the United States Global Leadership Coalition’s Indiana Advisory Committee.