The
Cold War had just ended. Suddenly, entire swaths
of Europe and central Asia were freed from the yoke
of communism and set out to build new societies based
on democracy and human rights.
Just
as suddenly, aggressive criminal enterprises,
likewise freed from totalitarian restraints, sprang
up to capitalize on new freedoms and more open
borders by setting up transnational criminal operations.
In
the early 1990s, progressive government leaders in
central and eastern Europe began discussions with
the FBI and others about how to build modern, democratic
policing systems that would value freedom and civil
rights and yet be capable of responding strongly
to these transnational criminals.
Out
of those discussions, an innovative idea was born:
the International Law Enforcement Academy, or ILEA. The
plan? To teach police managers in these fledgling
democracies cutting edge leadership skills, anti-corruption
strategies, human rights, counterterrorism investigative
techniques, major case management approaches, and
other issues critical to building the rule of law
in their countries. And to do it through unprecedented
partnerships -- engaging dozens of U.S. agencies
and organizations to make it happen in concert
with the Hungarian National Police and drawing
in experts from around the globe to conduct the
training.
In
April 1995, this concept was brought to life in
the historic city of Budapest.
Since
then, the Budapest ILEA has been a resounding success,
training more than 2,000 professionals from 27 nations
(from Albania to Lithuania to Uzbekistan) in an intensive
eight-week training program modeled on the FBI's
National Academy and another 7,100 police in
various specialty courses and regional programs.
It has also spawned other ILEAs -- in Bangkok; Gaborone;
and Roswell, New Mexico, with more planned.
The
benefits to the U.S.? Plenty. Stronger
legal and police systems overseas mean fewer attacks
on the U.S. from abroad. And law enforcement partnerships
built in Budapest and elsewhere are instrumental
in helping the FBI and its colleagues track down
fugitives, share information, and turn back serious
criminal and security threats in this global age.
Tomorrow,
we'll talk about an important new addition to the
Budapest ILEA and how it will further cement international
partnerships. Look for it here!
Photo
of ILEA classroom courtesy of the U.S. State Department.
