Police Reform in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Policy

Hosted by:

Stephen Johnson, Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Americas Program

Johanna Mendelson Forman, Senior Associate, CSIS Americas Program

With:
Steven Dudley, Co-Director of Insight: Organized Crime in the Americas

Ralph Espach, Research Analyst, Center for Naval Analysis

James Lewis, Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Technology and Public Policy Program

Mark Wells, Director, Office of Latin American Affairs, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State

James "Chips" Stewart, Director, Center for Naval Analysis Public Safety Program (invited)

Diana Negroponte, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Nathalie Alvarado, Citizen Security Lead Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank

Amb. Paul E. Simons, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of American States (OAS)

Historically, U.S. assistance aimed at training and professionalizing foreign police forces has been episodic and controversial.  Episodic because of the type of training received has tended to match U.S. perceptions of the threat of the moment, and controversial because foreign law enforcement structures have had close ties with military institutions which do not match U.S. models and which raise concerns about potential human rights abuse.  Today, as transnational crime is becoming the leading threat to public safety in certain parts of Latin America, law enforcement capacity is becoming a critical issue.  While the United States used to be alone in offering police training and assistance, other actors are becoming involved, from multilateral financial institutions to other donor nations.  Are current U.S policies helpful in promoting better citizen security, or are there too many cooks in the kitchen?

This two-panel discussion is based upon the Americas Program's recently published report, Police Reform in Latin America: Implications for U.S. Policy, which can be accessed by clicking on the title.

We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a timely and informative discussion. The event is open to the public, however space is limited. To RSVP, please send your confirmation to the Americas Program at americas@csis.org