The DEA International Training Section (TRI) has been conducting international counter-narcotics training since 1969. TRI is recognized as the world pioneer in international training and serves as the model for a variety of international law enforcement training efforts. DEA's role has grown to include that of international consultant to law enforcement agencies, as well as foreign governments seeking to develop quality narcotics law enforcement programs, organizational infrastructures, and judicial reforms. The specific courses offered by TRI are continually changing as new curricula are developed and instituted in response to experiences, changes in law enforcement emphasis, current international narcotics trafficking situations, new technologies, and specific requests of the host governments. However, the curricula generally include core narcotics enforcement principles and techniques. Topics of instruction include: initiation and development of narcotics investigations, surveillance techniques, pharmacology, intelligence collection and analytical methods, tactical safety, interviewing, drug identification, asset forfeiture and financial investigations, undercover operations, operational planning and an overview of current international trafficking trends and situations. All DEA international training programs have as a major objective the building of regional working relationships between countries. Objectives The specific objectives of DEA’s International Training Program are to: 1. Upgrade the drug law enforcement capabilities of foreign law enforcement agencies. 2. Encourage and assist key countries in developing self-sufficient narcotics investigation training programs. 3. Increase cooperation and communication between foreign law enforcement personnel and DEA in international drug trafficking intelligence and operations. 4. Provide foreign officials with motivation, as well as the necessary skills and knowledge required to initiate and continue high-level international drug investigations. 5. Develop regional cooperation between countries and encourage long-range strategic planning to enhance enforcement and intelligence operations. International Programs Offered TRI offers both in-country and regional training programs conducted by mobile training teams. In-country programs are seminars conducted in a host country and only include participants from that country. Regional training is designed to bring together a combination of participants from a number of countries sharing common drug trafficking issues or routes. Regional schools have been found to be beneficial in fostering an improvement in professional relationships among the participants, in addition to covering the topical materials. An advance pre-school planning and assessment trip is conducted by a training team member to design each school to the specific requirements of the receiving country.
International Law Enforcement Academies Recognizing that the pervasive influence of organized transnational crime threatens the stability and rule of law in emerging democracies around the world, the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) program was established by the U.S. Department of State in 1995. The ILEA program fosters a cooperative law enforcement partnership and involvement between the U.S. and participating nations to counter the threat of international crime within a specific region. The ILEA develops foreign police managers’ abilities to handle a broad spectrum of contemporary law enforcement issues and increases their capacity to investigate crime and criminal organizations. ILEAs are currently operating in Budapest, Hungary; Bangkok, Thailand, Gaborone, Botswana, and San Salvador, El Salvador. Funding for the ILEAs is provided by the Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Sensitive Investigative Unit (SIU) Training In the FY1997 DOJ Appropriations Act, the U.S. Congress authorized and approved funding for DEA to create, train, and support SIU programs in key countries critical to the counter narcotics objectives of the U.S. The conceptual basis of this program is to identify and train DEA foreign counterparts to work in sensitive bilateral investigations. The personnel selected from their respective countries to participate in the SIU program undergo strict security screening. These procedures, called a “vetting process,” include drug testing, background investigations, and polygraph examinations. Upon successful completion of this “vetting process,” the SIU personnel travel to the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, to attend a five-week SIU specialized training program. TRI is tasked with the development, coordination, and implementation of the SIU training program. Beyond the initial five-week specialized training program, TRI provides in-service training to select members of the SIUs in an effort to encourage them to develop their agencies’ institutional training and management techniques. The SIU program is managed by DEA’s Office of Foreign Logistics International Programs (OIAL). The ten countries currently involved in the SIU program are: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Thailand, Pakistan, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Uzbekistan. As of calendar year 2004, TRI has trained over 1,700 SIU personnel.
Previous Section | TOC | Next Section
|