On Friday September 25th the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE), support by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training of the United States (OPDAT), held its closing ceremony.
The participants of the CALEE program were from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador. They had the opportunity to participate in this 3 week exchange, during which they traveled to Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas. The third week of the program was realized in El Salvador.
The CALEE program is aimed at bring police officers, prosecutors and representatives of different public institutions to exchange experiences and best practices in the research and analysis of gang activities in the region.
“The gangs have become transnational criminal organizations; with the development of CALEE we will have the opportunity to have officers with more knowledge of how to deal with the gangs to develop more effective plans,” said PNC General Director Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde.
Grant Mann FBI’s supervisor explained the development and reach of the program: “In the first two weeks, we saw how the gangs have links and communication within the United States and other Central American countries. The third week we decided to come to El Salvador because the FBI and the PNC have worked together for many years in the fight against transnational gangs. This course is based on the model of the Against Gangs Center created in El Salvador a few of years ago, which we think is an example of how to manage gangs. The CALEE program will bring many benefits; among them is the alliance between the participant countries to help each other when in need”.
This is the sixth time this program has been realized for the region.
