 Four United States Senators visited Interpol's Regional Bureau in Buenos Aires to see firsthand how the organization promotes international police cooperation. The Senators were welcomed by Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble and Rafael Pena Hernandez, the head of the Regional Bureau, for a tour of the office which serves as Interpol's regional contact point for South America. Accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina and the head of the U.S. NCB in Washington, the Senators were updated on Interpol's tools and activities which helped police protect the country's 315 million citizens and 50 million annual visitors. The U.S. is the largest user of Interpol's stolen and lost travel documents database, carrying out more than 220 million checks in 2012 alone. This allowed police to identify some 10,500 people trying to enter the country on fraudulent passports. Secretary General Noble said Interpol helps ensure that vital international policing information gets into the hands of local and national police when and where it is needed most. With the opening of its Command and Coordination Center in 2011, Buenos Aires became the first regional bureau with around-the-clock police support capacity. This has played a central role in operation in South America, targeting international fugitives suspected to be in the region.