The United States and International Civilian Policing (CIVPOL)

[For more information on the CIVPOL program, please contact CIVPOL@state.gov]

Civilian police (CIVPOL) from over 50 countries are deployed around the globe in support of international peacekeeping operations. Their presence promotes peace and stability in areas recovering from conflict and their efforts to develop modern, democratic indigenous police forces help to ensure that peace and stability can be sustained, even after international peacekeepers depart.

Most CIVPOL programs are sponsored by the United Nations (UN), but they are also sponsored by regional security organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) or by coalitions of interested countries. Today, more than 7,500 international police are deployed in UN CIVPOL missions alone.

The UN launched its first CIVPOL mission in the Congo in 1960, but CIVPOL did not become a major component of peacekeeping operations until the end of the Cold War. Since then, they have become an integral component of what were traditionally military peacekeeping operations.

CIVPOL missions vary. In some missions, officers perform typical law enforcement functions (patrol, investigation, etc.) in the absence of professional indigenous police forces. In other cases, CIVPOL may be responsible for restructuring, monitoring, and/or advising local police who are making the transition to democratic policing. They also may be directly involved in the training and development of local police.

The United States participated in its first CIVPOL operation in 1994 in Haiti. The United States led the multinational military intervention to restore the elected government of Haiti and sponsored a 20-country International Police Monitor (IPM) mission to help provide public security, maintain the rule of law, and establish a new Haitian National Police Service. The IPM mission transitioned to the UN in March 1995.

CIVPOL have become a vital tool of U.S. foreign policy. Only 50 American police participated in the Haiti CIVPOL mission in 1994. Since then, over 4,000 experienced U.S. police officers and law enforcement experts have participated in CIVPOL missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1996-2002); the Eastern Slavonia region of Croatia (1996-2003); Jericho (2002); Palestinian Authority (2003); Sierra Leone (2003-2004); East Timor (1999-2005); OSCE Head Quarters in Vienna (2002-2004); Haiti (1996-2000; 2004-present); Kosovo (1999-present); Serbia & Montenegro (2001-present); Macedonia (2002-present); Afghanistan (2002-present); Iraq (2003-present); and Liberia (2003-present). Currently, more than 1,000 American officers are deployed to CIVPOL missions. This dramatic climb in U.S. participation in CIVPOL missions reflects the U.S. Government’s recognition of its importance to peacekeeping missions in the post-cold war world. While international military forces often are necessary to restore a secure environment following a major conflict, they generally are not, in themselves, sufficient for the long-term reestablishment of civil order where local institutions have broken down. CIVPOL not only assist international military forces in the short term by addressing civilian law enforcement matters, but also help to develop the local democratic policing institutions that ultimately will be responsible for all law and order functions once the military and CIVPOL depart.

Decisions to deploy U.S. CIVPOL in a specific mission are made at the highest levels of the federal government based on consultations among the White House, Department of State, Department of Defense, and other agencies. The responsibility for managing U.S. CIVPOL and related issues rests with the Department of State.

Most other countries that provide CIVPOL have national police forces and related personnel mechanisms to deploy officers for overseas service. Because the United States does not maintain a national police force, we must seek volunteers on an individual basis. To handle such a large task, the State Department contracts with private companies, currently DynCorp International, Civilian Police International LLC, and PAE Government Services, Inc. The contractors implement requirements provided by the State Department to recruit, select, equip, and deploy police from all over the country. After conducting a rigorous screening process, the companies contract with individual officers to provide their salary and benefits for one year.

Following pre-deployment training in the United States, officers are sent to the mission area and are "seconded" to the UN (or other sponsoring organization -- such as the OSCE). In mission, officers are under the operational control of the sponsoring organization, which also provides officers with an allowance to cover food, lodging, and incidental expenses. The contractors maintain offices in the mission areas to handle administrative and support (e.g. medical) issues, and assist with programs designed to improve quality of life (i.e., video libraries, fitness equipment).

Throughout the life of a mission, the State Department provides funding and oversight for mission operations, manages U.S. policy on CIVPOL operations and other related law enforcement and civilian security issues, provides bilateral assistance to local police forces, engages with the UN and other CIVPOL contributing countries on mission priorities and challenges, and keeps Congress, other U.S. Government agencies, and the White House informed of progress.