Representatives from the Florida National Guard made the trip from their St. Augustine headquarters to St. Petersburg College on Oct. 6 to tour the Allstate Center facility and receive a briefing on the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) program. Allstate Center Provost Dr. Scott Fronrath and Eileen LaHaie, Executive Director of the Center for Public Safety Innovation, welcomed the Guard contingent led by Adjutant General Michael A. Calhoun, the most senior military officer in Florida.

The MCTFT program is a federally funded, nationally responsive partnership among the Department of Defense, National Guard Bureau and the Florida National Guard. MCTFT offers a wide range of capabilities at its Camp Blanding Training Center in North Florida and, through its unique affiliation with SPC, is strategically located near USSOCOM and USCENTCOM headquarters in Tampa. The program provides cutting-edge, tuition-free counterdrug training to combatant commands, military services, federal agencies, state and local law enforcement, and community leaders.

Lt. Col. Shawn Fulker conducted a briefing for the General and his staff with Dr. Fronrath, Executive Director LaHaie and additional leadership from SPC’s Center for Public Safety Innovation (CPSI) in attendance. The college’s 23-year relationship with the Florida National Guard was acknowledged, as was the MCTFT program’s national importance in the fight against illicit drugs in the U.S., led by the military as well as federal, state and local law enforcement.

The MCTFT program, one of only five such programs across the nation, continues to be recognized as the leader, due to its extensive capabilities and lasting partnership with SPC. This recognition played an important role in the visit by Adjutant General Calhoun as he took this opportunity to share his vision of an expanded program, known as Combating Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC), with SPC’s Center for Public Safety Innovation serving as the CTOC Center of Excellence.

CTOC expands the scope of training beyond that of traditional counter narcotics and addresses other transnational crimes that can impact our national security, such as international money laundering, human and organ trafficking, and cyber-crime.

Contributor: Eileen LaHaie, Executive Director, Center for Public Safety Innovation