INL Baghdad October Highlights

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002946 SIPDIS DEPT FOR INL-I JUSTICE FOR ODAG, OPDAT, ICITAP, CRM SENSITIVE TAGS: SNAR KCRM KJUS PGOV IZ SUBJECT: INL Baghdad October Highlights REF: BAGHDAD 2884 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Embassy Baghdad's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) office supports the development of rule of law in Iraq through police, judiciary, corrections, and anti-corruption programs. In response to challenges facing the GOI, INL Baghdad has worked throughout October to develop Iraqi institutional capacity. Following the October 25 bombing of the shared Ministry of Justice (MOJ)/Higher Judicial Council (HJC) building, INL Baghdad offered and/or lent essential resources to the Iraqi Higher Judicial Council (HJC) to help their leaders re-establish control over critical ministerial functions. INL Baghdad also has advanced its core programs, including the Judicial Development Institute (JDI), international police advisors (IPA),Iraq Justice Integration Project (IJIP),and Judicial Protective Program (JPP). End Summary. INL Assists HJC After October 25 Bombing -------------- ¶2. (SBU) A car bomb heavily damaged the shared MOJ/HJC building, October 25. In support of the HJC, INL Baghdad granted 20 new laptops and 10 cubicles with associated office furniture. In addition, we are lending on a six-month basis twelve vehicles. INL Baghdad also has begun coordinating the early "beneficial occupancy" of HJC's INL-funded JDI campus for use as interim office space. (NOTE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreement is required before beneficial occupancy can occur. END NOTE) INL Baghdad is collaborating with the MOJ on the development of a separate assistance package that will create a continuity operations center. KRG Requests Additional INL Training -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has requested additional specialized police training from INL Baghdad. KRG Deputy Interior Minister Kamaran has asked for two female IPAs to teach Iraqi KRG police women as part of a greater Erbil-based community policing training initiative. The Sulaymaniyah provincial police chief also requested two highly skilled IPAs to teach complex investigations management. INL Baghdad manages the Kurdish region police training program independent of U.S. military assistance. Iraq Police Advisor and Training Mission (ITAM) Commanding Officer Major General Rowe (USA) complimented INL Baghdad, October 30, on the quality of IPAs in the Kurdish region. JDI Structures Developing -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The HJC has moved forward with governance and administrative structures for the INL-supported JDI facility. In cooperation with the GOI, INL has built JDI to be used for ongoing HJC training and development. On September 30, the JDI Consultative Body informed us that they have nominated a facility director and have established an official administrative unit. The new director will become a member of the Consultative Body and will manage the day to day affairs of the facility. The Consultative Body has changed the name to JDI from the Judicial Education and Development Institute (JEDI) in order to differentiate it from the Judicial Training Institute (JTI),which provides basic and entry-level training. We are working with the Army Corps of Engineers to finish final construction details and hope to officially open JDI in early Qfinal construction details and hope to officially open JDI in early December. ¶5. (SBU) HJC commitments to curriculum development are accelerating as office and work space approach completion. Courses for judges, judicial investigators, judicial security personnel, and court administrators are reaching advances stages of development in topics ranging from evidence to international arbitration. Partnerships with other USG and international entities are maturing under the HJC's guidance. HJC Provides Security Training Input -------------- ¶6. (SBU) INL Baghdad's judicial security team met with the HJC's judicial security training and curriculum committee, October 13-14, to discuss the JDI judicial security training curriculum. The HJC Security Manager, Karkh Appellate Court Security Chief and head HJC trainer, Rusafa Justice Palace Security Chief, the JDI Security Chief designate, and lead female trainer provided comments on the INL Baghdad proposals, proposed additional areas of training, and BAGHDAD 00002946 002 OF 002 requested personal security detail (PSD) training assistance. The committee approved 11 courses focused on developing PSD and facilities protection service (FPS) basic skills. INL Training Leads to AQI Fugitive Apprehension -------------- - ¶7. (SBU) Iraqi police are making good use of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)training provided by INL-sponsored IPAs. Provincial police captured 11 of the 16 suspected-AQI prisoners who escaped from a Tikrit jail on September 24 by using information retrieved from AFIS. The Crime Scene Investigator Chief was so impressed with AFIS and his police's ability to use the program that he has purchased one for each of the three prisons in the province. ICORs Develop DynCorp Review Procedures -------------- ¶8. (SBU) ICORs have developed a draft 100 percent property accountability review plan for DynCorp International (DI). The review includes CONUS and Iraq locations. The Property Accountability Review teams will operate out of DI HUBs and travel to DI spokes to conduct 100 percent physical inventory. The first review starts November 1-28 at 15 sites in HUBs Baghdad, Mosul, and Sulaymaniyah. The second, beginning November 29, will focus on 10 sites in Tikrit and Al-Kut HUBs and the third, starting on January 5, will look at 13 sites in HUBs Tallil, Basrah, and Ramadi. The fourth is scheduled to begin at Florida and Virginia facilities in December. ICOR plans to review the results of DI's inventory in February 2010. MOJ Builds IT Capacity -------------- ¶9. (SBU) INL Baghdad is seeing positive signs of Iraqi buy-in for software development. Under the guidance of the IJIP team, the MOJ IT department has for the first time installed an Oracle Environment using Oracle Configuration Tool, Oracle SQL Developer, and Oracle Form Builder. The MOJ application supports both the MOJ and the Iraqi Corrections Service (ICS) Headquarters. The program is designed to take data from the prison data management system and allow the two headquarters to conduct analysis and run reports. Justice Minister Dara established a steering committee comprised of key staff for the project earlier this year. INL is working to identify alternatives to maintain momentum following the October 25 bombing. INL Hands Over Camp Blackhawk to GOI -------------- ¶10. (SBU) INL Baghdad has received approval to abandon in-place 14 containerized housing units (CHU) the former-INL Camp Blackhawk. Releasing property is the last step in transitioning Camp Blackhawk over to the GOI under the Iraqi Civilian Assistance Support (ICAS) program, which began with turning over the camp itself on September ¶30. The MOD is using the facility to house its Special Forces Headquarters.