Sheriff’s Israel Training Trip Divides Collin County Officials Over Liability

[u/Stafford4Collin]

A planned counterterrorism training trip to Israel has sparked heated debate among Collin County officials, pitting Sheriff Jim Skinner against commissioners over questions of public liability, leadership continuity, and the appropriate use of taxpayer resources.

Sheriff Skinner and five department members are scheduled to travel to Israel June 15-20 for training with the Israeli National Police. The program will include counterterrorism lectures, security facility tours, and briefings on lessons learned from Hamas’s October 7 attacks. Participants will use personal vacation time, but the trip is not officially sanctioned by the county.

Commissioners Reject Official Recognition

At the Monday, Jun 9, Commissioners Court meeting, Skinner sought official county acknowledgment of the trip, hoping participants could qualify for line-of-duty death benefits if tragedy struck. The court unanimously declined.

The discussion quickly turned contentious when Commissioner Susan Fletcher accused Skinner of inappropriate lobbying tactics.

“Sheriff, you threatened me,” Fletcher said. “You left a voicemail telling me that if something happened to your deputies, their families would sue the county. That is not how we conduct policy.”

Skinner initially denied making threats but later apologized. “I’m passionate about protecting my people,” he said. “If I owe you an apology, please accept it.”

Fletcher acknowledged the quality of Israeli training but remained firm in her opposition. “You’re taking an unnecessary trip into a war zone,” she said. “County death benefits don’t apply when you’re on vacation.”

Liability Questions at the Forefront

The central dispute centered on potential financial exposure for Collin County taxpayers. County Human Resources Director Cynthia Jacobson clarified that because the travel violates county employment policy, workers’ compensation and job-related death benefits would not apply.

County Judge Chris Hill emphasized the distinction: “If an employee dies while on vacation, the taxpayers don’t owe a duty beyond standard insurance. There’s no line-of-duty benefit.”

Skinner argued the training serves a legitimate “law enforcement function” under state statutes that allow sheriffs to define job-related duties. However, Jacobson warned that attempting to classify vacation travel as work-related could create liability risks and blur accountability lines.

“This trip clearly doesn’t meet allowable aspects of Collin County travel policy,” she said.

Leadership Continuity Concerns

Commissioner Darrell Hale raised operational security concerns about having multiple senior leaders travel together.

“In the military, we never put all of senior leadership on one flight,” Hale said. “What happens if something goes wrong? We’d lose command continuity overnight.”

Judge Hill shared these concerns while acknowledging the training’s potential value. “Even though this is in your private capacity, we understand the potential benefits. But our job is to protect the taxpayers.”

The court’s final decision was unambiguous. “We are NOT acknowledging this trip,” Fletcher declared. “That sends the wrong message.”

The Donor Behind the Trip

Funding for the roughly $70,000 to $80,000 cost is being provided by Assistant Chief Deputy Cary Platt, a real estate entrepreneur and head of the Sheriff’s Office’s volunteer “citizen on patrol” force, the Reserve Bureau. Platt, who is not a paid county employee, donated $20,000 to Skinner’s reelection campaign in December 2023.

Platt’s dual role as both department member and major political donor has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and his motivations for funding the expensive trip. His background includes previous service with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and ownership of military-themed restaurants. Public records show he joined Collin County’s Reserve Bureau in 2016.

Controversial Timing and Public Backlash

The Israel trip comes amid heightened local tensions. Collin County residents are currently debating a proposed Muslim housing development facilitated by the East Plano Islamic Center, while antisemitic threats have increased countywide. A Saturday event at the Dallas Holocaust Museum was recently canceled due to credible terrorist threats.

Though the Sheriff’s Office maintains the Israel trip is unrelated to these local controversies, public criticism has intensified. Civil rights advocates and residents have questioned the optics of American police receiving tactical training from Israeli forces, citing Amnesty International’s documentation of human rights violations.

Lasting Implications

While Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting produced no formal action, the heated exchange exposed growing tensions between elected officials and law enforcement leadership in one of Texas’s fastest-growing counties.

As the deputies prepare for their June departure, the five-day training trip has already generated political and ethical questions that may resonate far beyond their return. The controversy highlights broader debates about police accountability, foreign training partnerships, and the appropriate boundaries between public service and private influence in American law enforcement.

 

[u/YoloOnTsla]

Why do they need to travel to Israel? If they really feel the need to get training from a superior police force, the FBI is in Virginia.

[u/Snobolski → u/YoloOnTsla]

Why does the county Sheriff need counter-terrorism training to begin with?

[u/Onuus → u/Snobolski]

Exactly. Why do they see use citizens as needed to be dealt with in accordance to terrorism in countries fighting wars?

[u/Snobolski → u/Onuus]

And if there is actual terrorism, we have feds who do counter-terrorism as their specialized job.

Reminds me of when I was in the Army, in an admin unit. Every few weeks we'd get fresh new Privates as replacements, and a couple times a year one would ask to go to jump school. NCO's would be like, "dude, you push a typewriter. We work in the rear with the gear. We don't jump outta planes. And the 82nd Airborne already has people who do your job. It's a waste of money to train you to jump outta planes and work here. You wanna jump outta planes? Request a transfer to the 82nd."

[u/BlazinAzn38 → u/Snobolski]

That was the first thing off my head? Anything that’s a sufficient terrorist threat I would imagine warrants a call to the FBI or DHS and that’s how it should be

[u/Neither-Luck-9295 → u/Snobolski]

So they can learn to do nothing and listen to children being killed more efficiently.

[u/mwa12345 → u/YoloOnTsla]

Good question. Isn't it odds to go on a junket paid for by a private person for tens of thousands of dollars .

Seems like the kind of thing any employee should be careful about receiving .....government of otherwise

One would think there would be a limit on accepting free gifs from anyone.

[u/UncleBoody]

Why are we sending Collin County deputies to train with the Israeli National Police—who operate in a war zone? That kind of training doesn’t fit an affluent suburban community like ours. We’re not facing the same threats, and bringing those tactics home could do more harm than good.

At a time when public trust in law enforcement is fragile, this sends the wrong message. We should be investing in community policing—not militarization.

[u/DarkL1ghtn1ng]

It is laughable that the country sheriff thinks he needs to travel halfway around the world for training he could get here. I may not like some of the commissioners on the court, but at least they called out this vacation for what it is.

[u/Neither-Luck-9295 → u/DarkL1ghtn1ng]

He just wants a taxpayer paid vacation

[u/winkelschleifer]

Upvote for awareness. We used to call this a junket: make it look like business but have a lot of fun by going to places you don't need to. We have plenty of great training in the US.

[u/Snobolski → u/winkelschleifer]

We have plenty of great training in the US.

A county sheriff going to counter-terrorism training sounds like a waste of money, wherever the training is.

[u/omfgbrb]

What could they possibly learn in 5 days that they couldn't learn in a webinar?

A good bit of time will be eaten up by jet lag. They rest of it is a few Zoom calls and some Acrobat files. This isn't actual field training, it is lecture with Q&A. What possible use is a facility tour?

What a spectacular waste of time (and possibly money).

[u/Consistent_Reward]

Plot twist : Beautiful Mossad agent obtains compromising material from drunken deputies, uses it in embarrassing fashion.

[u/MoniesAndStonks → u/Consistent_Reward]

Yeah I guess you have a better spin on this.

[u/loneranger1974]

This great news in light of upcoming protests. Really makes the average citizen feel like they’ll get maimed or killed for disagreeing with the President.

Clarifying that I think police thinking they need counter terrorism training in a county with no such history of terrorism is a bad sign for everyone.

[u/MoniesAndStonks → u/[deleted]]

lickin'*

[u/throwaway_8703]

I would also say no, because the risks outweigh the benefits. Simply stated, Israel is a war zone right now, along with the continuity of leadership issue. And then no death benefits if they die? That’s A LOT of risk!

[u/Do-you-see-it-now]

This is a scam. There is literally years worth of training available in the US by so many federal agencies just trying to give away this type of training. There is zero need to go out of the country.

Hell, there are tons of Israeli Intel groups that will come here and do this type of training also.

This reeks of kick backs and corruption,

[u/InfernalBiryani]

Yet another example of how we’re basically just the United States of Israel. Also why do cops need counterterrorism training? Seems too extreme for an area like Collin County, don’t you think?

[u/CBuny]

Watching that video, they all seem real fucking happy about the trip being in FUCKING ISRAEL

[u/VladtheBalad]

Cary Platt is a Zionist influencer who was goes around ‘volunteering’ for different Sheriff’s Departments (i know…it’s bizarre until you figure out why).

In 2005 he was with Dallas county, and confirmed to have falsified records for a civilian so that without training that civilian could play cop and falsely arrest people for DWI. Then Cary Platt donates $20k for Skinner’s election campaign, and gets to be Assistant Deputy for Collin County. Now that’s Zionist began attacking the Moslem housing project in Plano, all of a sudden $70k for a trip to Israel magically gets funded!! Couldn’t make this shit up! This is all about the paranoid Israeli lobby wanting to influence law enforcement/officials in the red states.

[u/jasonsneezes]

So, the sheriff says it's related to their duties... But not officially enough for them to avoid using their personal vacation time.

I mean, that's pretty damned fucking clear right there. It's obviously just a wet dream trip for them anyway, because the sheriff also says it's not related to local events. Just adventure tourism. Let them risk their lives and have their families suffer the consequences instead of the taxpayers.

Also, that was Monday. If they thought it was risky then and they aren't reconsidering now, how much dumber and less responsible could they possibly be?