Media Contact: See PDF copy
Mark Genatempo
Senior Fellow, Rutgers University Miller Center
Email: mark.g@rutgers.edu
Phone: (212) 729-6552
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2025
Ahead of World Cup, University Adviser and New Jersey Police Leaders Head to Northern Ireland to Share Event Security Measures
Paul Goldenberg from the Miller Center at Rutgers led a delegation to learn more about drone operations and community communication and engagement efforts
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Dec. 16, 2025) — A delegation of senior law-enforcement executives from New Jersey, led by a Rutgers adviser, traveled to Northern Ireland last week to examine how drone operations and focused communication and engagement efforts can strengthen public safety and community trust.
Insights from the visit at the invitation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland will directly inform New Jersey’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
New Jersey delegates shared cutting-edge drone operations and counter-uncrewed aerial systems strategies, while the Police Service of Northern Ireland provided insights into “dialogue policing,” a model that uses communication, trust-building and negotiated management to prevent disorder and maintain public safety.
The New Jersey delegation, led by Paul Goldenberg, deputy director of the Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, included Giacomo Sacca, chief of the Elizabeth Police Department, who is nationally recognized for developing one of the nation’s most advanced and transparent public-safety drone programs.
“As policing grows more complex, the ability to learn directly from international partners is critical,” said Goldenberg. “Northern Ireland brings deep experience in dialogue-based public-order policing alongside advanced technology. This exchange allows us to both contribute U.S. expertise and bring back proven strategies that strengthen safety and trust at home.”
Col. Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, underscored the importance of international collaboration as World Cup planning accelerates.
“Observing dialogue-based approaches while integrating advanced drone capabilities strengthens our ability to protect citizens, safeguard communities of faith, and uphold public trust,” Callahan said.
Sacca emphasized the practical value of the exchange for both operations and public confidence.
“Northern Ireland showed how dialogue and technology can work together to build safety and trust,” Sacca said. “Sharing our experience using drones as first responders reinforces security while maintaining transparency. Exchanges like this are critical to modernizing policing and preparing for large-scale events.”
The Northern Ireland mission follows an engagement in November with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Southeastern Arizona Border Region Enforcement Team in Arizona, a multijurisdictional unit focused on border security and counter-trafficking.
“Together, these exchanges reflect the Miller Center’s broader effort to connect U.S. agencies with global partners to address shared public-safety challenges and prepare for high-profile international events,” Goldenberg said.
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About Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience
The Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience advances research, education and outreach focused on building stronger relationships between communities and public safety institutions. As part of Rutgers University’s dedication to service, innovation and justice, the center leads initiatives that promote accountability, trust and strategic resilience in policing and community safety.
About the Eagleton Institute of Politics
The Rutgers Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. The Eagleton Institute studies how American politics and government work and change, analyzes how democracy might improve and promotes political participation and civic engagement. The institute explores state and national politics through research, education and public service, linking the study of politics with its day-to-day practice.
About Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rutgers University-New Brunswick is where Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship university is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It is home to internationally acclaimed faculty and has 12 degree-granting schools and a Division I Athletics program. It is the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse university. Through its community of teachers, scholars, artists, scientists and healers, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives.
December 16, 2025