CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL TO TRAIN LAW OFFICERS IN UKRAINE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
State Department Partners With California Highway Patrol To Provide Expertise to Ukraine's
New Patrol Police Force
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 28, 2015

Marking the first overseas deployment by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) under formal partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the CHP recently collaborated with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior Affairs (MOI) on a four-week training session for 30 Ukrainian law enforcement officers. The Ukrainian officers will be responsible for training cadets for Ukraine’s brand new Patrol Police, a key component of Ukraine’s ongoing reform efforts. This CHP training program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

During the training in Kyiv, CHP’s four officers provided tactical patrol training, technical expertise, and mentoring, covering a wide variety of subjects, including car stops, handcuffing, and defending against attacks. The Ukrainian course graduates are now certified to instruct incoming classes of recruits for the newly established Ukrainian Patrol Police. More than 11,000 Ukrainians have applied to join the Patrol Police, and nearly 30% of the applicants are women. The first Patrol Police force of approximately 2,000 officers will report for duty in Kyiv in June.

Through this project, INL supports the Ukrainian MOI’s effort to transform the relationship between citizens and police by creating a meritocratic police force focused on protecting and serving the public. The Patrol Police, which is being launched first in Kyiv and then rolled out nationwide, will replace the unpopular traffic police and is seen as a step towards combating police corruption. This is the MOI’s top reform priority and is a direct response to the demands of the people of Ukraine.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS HAITIAN POLICE ACADEMY HAS LARGEST GRADUATING CLASS IN RECENT HISTORY

FROM:  STATE DEPARTMENT 

Largest Class in Recent History Graduates from Haitian National Police Academy
It was 80 degrees and sunny on Friday, December 27, 2013, when 1,058 newly minted Haitian National Police (HNP) cadets stood in perfect formation on the parade grounds of the Police Academy in Port-au-Prince. More than ten percent of this 24th class of graduating cadets is female, and all were wearing uniforms donated by the United States Government, through INL. Observing the newest inductees to Haiti’s sole security force were Haitian President Michel Martelly, U.S. Ambassador Pamela White, the Minister of Justice, and the Director General of the HNP.

Portland Police Bureau joined the Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) to implement INL’s community policing program in Bangladesh. The program was launched in 2010, and takes place in Rajshahi Division of northwestern Bangladesh, an area previously identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. The program supports a model of policing that emphasizes the establishment of police-community partnerships and a problem-solving approach that is responsive to community concerns. Program objectives include: 1) teaching Bangladesh police officers and citizens community policing strategies and assisting them with implementation; 2) providing hands-on instruction, modeling and mentoring to Bangladesh police officers and citizens using an embedding strategy and; 3) supporting the overall community by identifying additional stakeholders with the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

Four years after the 2010 earthquake, Haiti is slowly rebuilding itself with the help of the international community. The HNP, with assistance from the UN Stabilization Force for Haiti (MINUSTAH), is responsible for keeping the peace in Haiti. Crime and citizen security, a history of political demonstrations, and responding to natural disasters such as hurricanes are key challenges facing Haiti’s police. U.S. assistance has included the provision of new infrastructure and equipment, but training on democratic policing standards is now a cornerstone of our support to Haiti’s efforts to develop a more credible and competent police force – progress that is clearly reflected in the 1,058 men and women who donned their crisp yellow uniforms for the first time last month. The class is one of the largest since the establishment of the HNP in 1995 and represents a major step towards achieving the Government of Haiti’s goal of increasing force size from 10,000 in 2012 to 15,000 by 2016.

A number of the graduates are slated for specialized functions. Eighty will serve as corrections officers, 100 will receive additional training as special counter-narcotics police in the elite La Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS) unit, and 40 will be assigned to the recently established community policing program in an underserved area of Port-au-Prince. The community policing program, the brainchild of an FBI-trained HNP Commander, was developed through assistance from a cadre of NYPD officers that INL supports on long-term deployments to Haiti.

In addition to uniforms, INL also provides a food supplement and hygiene supplies to all of the recruits who can receive no compensation during their basic training at the academy. The academy itself has benefitted from INL-funded refurbishments and renovations. The medical and psychological phases of the next recruiting process are already underway for the 25th Promotion, with training due to begin in February. Thanks to a grant from INL to a local clinic for these services, approximately 1,900 candidates have already been screened. The goal is to identify and select more than 1,000 cadets, who would graduate in the fall. With this added strength, hopefully the HNP will soon enjoy a future just as promising as the bright sun at last month’s graduation ceremony in Port-au-Prince.