OVERVIEW OF NAS PANAMA FRONTLINE POLICE MODERNIZATION

UNCLAS PANAMA 000492 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM KJUS PM SUBJECT: OVERVIEW OF NAS PANAMA FRONTLINE POLICE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM ¶1. Summary: NAS Panama has undertaken a senior-level training program for the roughly 30 top officers of the National Police (PNP),designed to help the PNP move from a military or traditional model of policing towards a model of community or problem-oriented policing. This endeavor represents, to our knowledge, a novel USG-funded attempt to assist a host country police force in adopting this more democratic, citizen-involved form of policing. The GOP and local press are taking notice. End Summary. ¶2. The NAS-sponsored Police Executive Leadership Seminar Series (PELSS) is a package of six mini-conferences at the executive level, carried out with expert input and presentations by partner police entities from the U.S. In January, during the first session of PELSS, the roughly 30 top PNP commanders (led by Deputy PNP head Jaime Ruiz) were instructed by officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department and NAS staff on the management and philosophical changes necessary to transition from the traditional to community-oriented model of policing. ¶3. In late March, at the second session of PELSS, the PNP unveiled new mission and vision statements representing a radical departure from previous police-centric versions. For the first time in its 17-year history, the PNP has specifically identified the community as both a partner and ally in the fight against crime and disorder. This is a clear sign that the PNP has begun to institutionalize key precepts of the PELSS approach and has adopted this form of democratic policing. ¶4. Presently, the PNP is working on a "COMPSTAT" management model, where each zone commander is responsible for partnering with the community to solve problems, and subsequently presenting the results before colleagues and superiors for comment and feedback. The goal of this model is to consistently improve on policing tactics and response. ¶5. Senior-level GOP national security/law enforcement officials have taken an interest in our PELSS concept. In addition, the Panamanian media has begun to run positive interviews/articles on the program. Presently, NAS is working on facilitating a cross-border partnership between Panama and Costa Rica to assist the Costa Ricans in reforming their police agencies using PELSS precepts. We hope the PELSS model can be discussed at the May INL-sponsored conference of Latin American NAS police advisors at the State Department. EATON