THE POLICE: INL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UPDATE -

UNCLAS TBILISI 000493

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INL/AAE, G/TIP, EUR/ACE, EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: NA
TAGS: SNAR PGOV MARR KCRM GG
SUBJECT: THE POLICE: INL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UPDATE -
FIRST QUARTER CY08

Ref: TBILISI 60


1. Summary: INL Tbilisi activities in the first quarter of 2008 run
the gamut from forensics to first aid. Some ongoing projects were
completed with fanfare, e.g., opening of the Police Academy's
English Language Center, while others are being launched, such as
evaluation and assessment of Georgia's fingerprint database
capabilities. Training programs for forensic ballistics examiners,
military personnel, and horse-mounted police officers continues. End
Summary.

Fingerprint Database
--------------


2. Two FBI CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Service)
representatives visited Tbilisi January 20-25 to evaluate
fingerprint programs in Georgia and explore how the USG might
support Georgian law enforcement and begin sharing fingerprint
records. INL Tbilisi is committed to supporting the purchase and
installation of an automated fingerprint identification system
(AFIS) and accompanied the CJIS team on their assessment. The CJIS
representatives met with Laboratory Directors and fingerprint
section personnel to assess techniques and record-keeping at both
the National Forensics Bureau (NFB) and the Ministry of Internal
Affairs' lab. Both labs have skilled personnel and demonstrated
appropriate techniques for completing a standard 10-print
fingerprint card. The Ministry of Justice's NFB Lab does not have
an automated database for storing prints but files the cards
according to the Henry classification system (most common
internationally). The MOIA lab maintains an automated fingerprint
database, but the system -- manufactured in Belarus -- has limited
capabilities.


3. The CJIS representatives held a joint meeting with Deputy
Minister of Internal Affairs Eka Zguladze and Deputy Minister of
Justice Maia Kopaleishvili to provide an outbrief. The Ministries
agreed that a new AFIS system would be administered by the Ministry
of Justice, -- with full access available to users -- including the
Ministry of Internal Affairs. Agreement between the ministries on
the system's administration had been a major impediment to a new
AFIS purchase. With agreement now in place, INL, under the aegis of
its ongoing forensic development project, will support the visit of
a contract fingerprint specialist to map a way forward. The
specialist will travel to Tbilisi in April to develop tasks,
timelines, and identify forensic and law enforcement personnel who
will be the GOG's point of contact for the procurement process, the
development of SOP's and quality assurance mechanisms, as well as
training on a new AFIS system.

Forensic Ballistics
--------------


4. February 4-13, ATF Advisor Richard Gryzbowski provided joint
training for forensics ballistics examiners from Georgia's National
Forensics Bureau (Ministry of Justice),the Ministry of Internal
Affairs forensics lab, and two firearms examiners from the Armenian
national forensics laboratory. The training followed on a previous
session in Armenia last November, as well a visit to a firearms
factory in Poland last July. During this training segment,
examiners were given a proficiency test designed to be more
difficult than U.S. firearms examiners routinely take every year to
maintain professional accreditation. The NFB examiners passed the
test with flying colors thanks to the availability of a comparison
microscope, which INL provided to the lab in September 2007. The
MOIA firearms examiners -- without the aid of the modern microscope
at their lab -- incorrectly identified some of the evidence. This
turn of events was a troubling indicator for Georgian forensics
since the MOIA examiners process about 90 percent of bullet and
cartridge case evidence from criminal cases. In a subsequent
meeting with MOIA Lab Director Gena Shainidze, Mr. Gryzbowski noted
the skill and competence of the examiners and cited outdated
equipment and poor working conditions as the reason for the MOIA
examiners' poor marks. Shainidze noted his intention to purchase a
comparison microscope for the lab in the near future. Mr.
Gryzbowski will conduct his next training session, jointly again
with the Armenian firearms examiners, in June.

Anti-TIP Training at Ministry of Defense
--------------


5. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continued to
implement INL's anti-TIP training and awareness program for Georgian
military personnel. During the week of February 20-26, IOM provided
89 non-commissioned officers and 219 officers with a basic 1.5 hour
training on Trafficking in Persons at the NCO and Officer training
academies. The training session included the following topics: the
Georgian Ministry of Defense's zero tolerance policy on TIP, the
internationally recognized definition of TIP, NATO's policy on TIP,
Georgian Penal Code Provisions on TIP, various forms of TIP, and

reporting mechanisms for soldiers, especially those deployed
overseas.


6. The format of the training was interactive with a 45 minute power
point presentation, a written testimonial from a Georgian victim, 2
case studies, and a True/False Quiz at the conclusion of the
presentation. In each training sessions, soldiers appeared engaged
and asked many questions, pushing the training session past the
2-hour mark. Some of the questions asked included:

-- What does a soldier do when they find a victim?
-- Have there been any cases of soldiers caught trafficking in
persons?
-- What is purpose of the training for soldiers?
-- What is difference between an unfair labor contract and
trafficking in persons?
-- When an employer fails to pay wages--is that trafficking?
And finally ...
-- Can a soldier shoot a trafficker?


7. In January, IOM provided the Ministry of Defense with training
materials, including material for the 2000 soldiers now serving in
Iraq (Reftel). In March, IOM and the Ministry of Defense, will train
instructors at the military academies about human trafficking in
order to ensure sustained dissemination of anti-TIP information.

First Aid/CPR Training
--------------


8. After assessing the inadequate training of Georgian law
enforcement on First Aid techniques, INL Tbilisi sponsored a 4 day
"train the trainer" seminar on First Aid at the Ministry of Internal
Affairs (MOIA) Police Academy February 18-21. The class was
attended by 7 future First Aid trainers from the academy staff and
the Patrol Police. The chief instructor for the course was Dr.
Kakhaber Chikhradze, Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Gudaushauri
National Medical Center in Tbilisi.


9. Course content focused on topics most relevant for law
enforcement officers, including, clearing the airway, CPR, visual
examination of a victim and establishing the seriousness of an
injury, triage techniques, shock treatment, use of cervical collars,
traction splints, vacuum splinting, bandaging techniques, and safe
secure movement of patients. The students also received a lecture on
assisting in emergency childbirth cases.

Police Academy: New English Language Center
--------------


10. On Friday March 7, Ambassador Tefft, together with OSCE
Ambassador Hakala, MOIA Minister Merabishvili and Deputy Minister
Zguladze, participated in a ceremonial opening of the new English
Language Center at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Police Academy.
The project was jointly funded by INL and the OSCE Mission to
Georgia.
INL funded renovation of the classroom space, language lab, library,
instructor offices and connecting corridors for $47,000. The OSCE
provided approximately 20,000 Euros for computer and language lab
equipment, and reference materials for the library. INL also
provided a $14,400 grant to the Police Academy to fund 3 instructor
salaries for one year. The instructors, identified for us by ETAG
(English Language Teacher's Association of Georgia),will develop
the basic ESP (English for Special Purposes) curriculum and provide
classroom instruction. The Academy will pick up the instructor
salaries in January 2009.


11. In response to a proposal by PAS Tbilisi, the Bureau of
Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) awarded a grant to bring an
English Language Specialist to the Police Academy for one month to
finalize the basic ESP curriculum, oversee its implementation, and
develop a specialized curriculum on law enforcement-specific
language. PAS is covering the per diem and in-country travel
expenses of the Specialist.

Horse-Mounted Police
--------------


12. On February 25, two Georgian horse-mounted police officers began
a 10-week training course at U.S. Park Police Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. The training in police equestrian skills includes
appropriate techniques for horse-mounted patrolling, with special
emphasis on community policing concepts, traffic control and
enforcement, ceremonial events, and crowd management. The two
Georgian officers were featured in Washington's local Fox News
Morning segment March 14.


13. Following completion of the course May 5, U.S. Park Police
instructor Eric Evans will return to Tbilisi to provide a one-month
training course to the entire mounted unit, emphasizing the main


skills taught in the 10-week course. INL supports the development
of the mounted unit not only as an effective addition to Georgian
law enforcement, but also as a vehicle for community outreach. The
model of police officer as public servant is a new concept in
Georgia, and public skepticism of the police remains. Utilizing
mounted patrols will allow the police to project their presence in a
more approachable manner, even as they carry out their law
enforcement duties.


PERRY