|
Top
Story
Ethics Center Participates
in Mexico City Conference
| |
 |
| |
Dan
Carlson, Associate Director of
the ILEA, addresses the conference
in Mexico City. |
Exciting
things are happening in the Mexican
criminal justice community. A number
of recent events in Mexico have combined
to increase discussion of the law
enforcement role within the context
of human rights protection, and resulted
in an international conference, titled
"Human Rights, Law Enforcement
and Public Security, Manifestations
of a Lawful State: Police as Defenders
of Citizens' Rights."
Held
January 8 - 10, 2002, and attracting
more than seven hundred participants
and media from across Mexico, the
event was co-sponsored by the U. S.
Embassy, the Attorney General for
the Republic of Mexico, the Ministry
of Public Security, the Attorney General
for the Federal District of Mexico
City, and the Ibero-American University.
The
goal of the Mexico City conference
was to examine strategies for achieving
effective law enforcement while, at
the same time, ensuring that citizens'
civil liberties and human rights are
protected. To that end, topics and
speakers addressed measures that police
organizations and segments of the
community alike may employ to build
relationships of trust and respect.
Conference faculty were asked to share
personal and professional experiences
for developing and implementing practical
measures to assist personnel (numbering
more than 90,000 officers in Mexico
City alone) in becoming more vigilant
in their observation of human and
civil rights.
At
the invitation of the United States
Embassy, the Center for Law Enforcement
Ethics was invited to participate
in the conference, and asked to join
in a panel presentation on "Training
in North and Central America: A Comparative
Approach." In addition to Dan
Carlson, Associate Director of the
Institute for Law Enforcement Administration,
that panel included Representative
Rodrigo Avila, Member of the Salvadorian
Congress and Former Director General
of the El Salvador National Police,
and Dr. Luis Rodriguez Manzanera,
Director General, Mexico Academy for
Public Security.
Moderated
by Maria del Carmen Rodriguez Moreleon,
President of the Mexican Institute
for Human Rights and Humanities, the
group discussed methods for developing
training and tools to help law enforcement
professionals understand and incorporate
principles of ethics into their daily
conduct.
In
addition to those conference speakers
representing law enforcement and civilian
groups from across Mexico, presenters
were drawn from a number of other
countries including Venezuela, Colombia,
El Salvador and the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights, Organization
of American States. Along with the
Center for Law Enforcement Ethics,
United States law enforcement was
represented by Chief David Bejarano,
San Diego, CA, Police Department;
Superintendent Bobbie Johnson, Boston,
MA, Police Department; and Chief Jim
Burack, Milliken, CO, Police Department.
A
full report on the Mexico City Conference
(in Spanish) is now available on the
United States Embassy web page. To
review it, click
here.
|
