Arlington, Texas, is the most recent participant in an ICMA program that is helping municipalities in Central America adopt community-oriented governance and policing approaches that have proven successful in the United States and other countries. Arlington has joined with Panama City, Panama, in a CityLinks partnership created through the Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central America (AMUPREV) program.

In June, the Arlington Police Department hosted officials from the Panamanian National Police Child and Adolescent Unit, municipal staff members from Panama City, a national government and a nongovernmental organization (NGO) representative, most of them members of the Panama City Municipal Violence Prevention Committee, to showcase its community-oriented approach to violence prevention and policing and to begin establishing relationships with the department’s Central American counterparts. 

The Arlington visit included an overview of the police department philosophy—based on prevention, intervention, and education—and a discussion of the department’s proactive efforts to combat gang-related and other crime. The Panamanian visitors included a police captain who sought guidance on the promotion of programs for and with youth involving the police, and information on guidelines for recruiting officers who would be working with youth as well as the activities of school resource officers, among other issues. The visit also covered the Arlington department’s victim assistance program, school partnership program, faith-based partnership program, Weed and Seed, and other community-based initiatives.

Reflecting on the visit, Arlington Police Chief Theron L. Bowman, Ph.D., had this to say: “This exchange facilitates a valuable exchange of knowledge and experience. This educational enterprise is also an innovative way for our organizations to gain new perspectives on the challenges officers and communities face. We look forward to the continued dialogue and partnership with Panama City. The way in which community policing is implemented varies among agencies; however, the spirit of community engagement spans all borders.”

ICMA was represented by Leonard Matarese, director of Research and Project Development with the ICMA Center for Public Safety Management; Isabelle Bully-Omictin, senior governance advisor with ICMA International and AMUPREV director; and Carlos Loría-Chaves, AMUPREV regional program manager. Representatives from Arlington are scheduled to travel to Panama City for an exchange visit in August.

Violence Prevention in Colón and San Miguelito

 

Meeting of the San Miguelito municipal violence prevention committee.

A similar partnership between Pinellas County, Florida, and the municipalities of Colón and San Miguelito, Panama, was launched in November 2010 with a visit to Pinellas County by local government and police representatives. Since then, representatives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office have made two visits to the Panamanian cities. The focus of the exchanges has been to support and strengthen two municipal violence prevention committees and to provide training for committee members and other stakeholders, including police and citizens, in the principles and practices of community-oriented policing.

During the second visit, in May-June 2011, officers from Pinellas County followed up on San Miguelito’s expressed interest in organizing a police athletic league (PAL) program. The PAL director from Pinellas County, Jerry Babcock, addressed the local police department, explaining the history and philosophy of PAL in the United States and emphasizing the importance of building a bond between youth and the police—through recreation, education, and other constructive activities. Through an interpreter, he talked with young people at a local playground and got an enthusiastic response to the PAL concept.

In Colón, the visitors were briefed by Deputy Rafael Navarro of Pinellas County on the current status of crime and policing, followed by a nighttime tour that highlighted some of the challenges facing the city as it adopts community-oriented prevention strategies—poor street lighting, neglected and abandoned buildings, and lack of parking regulations that would ensure access to all streets. The visit also included tours of a juvenile holding facility and a nonprofit learning center for children who are not in school or who need a safe place to go after school. 

The Pinellas County representatives were accompanied by Matarese, Loría-Chaves, and Lisa Lau, ICMA program manager. 

CityLinks Partnership in El Salvador

Another AMUPREV partnership is bearing fruit as well. Officials with responsibility for public safety and crime prevention initiatives in Sonsonate and Nahuizalco, El Salvador, learned what it takes to develop a comprehensive, community-based approach to violence prevention during a January visit to Santa Ana, California. 

In March, Deputy Chief of Police Carlos Rojas and Sergeant Enrique Esparza from Santa Ana conducted workshops in community policing strategies for members of the municipal violence prevention committees in the two Salvadoran municipalities, along with other police, government, and citizen representatives. Together with council members Vince Sarmiento and Sal Tinajero, they visited schools, met with community groups, and saw police stations and outposts. Together, the partner municipalities drew up an action plan to be implemented through a series of future visits. 

AMUPREV and Alcance Positivo

The AMUPREV program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has two key objectives: 

• To promote comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key Central American stakeholders and foster development of regional peer knowledge networks
• To provide training and technical assistance to local governments and community groups, in coordination with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs.

The program is scheduled to continue through September 2012, allowing time for partnership exchanges to continue among the participating cities and counties.

AMUPREV activities in Panama are complemented by the Alcance Positivo (community youth at risk) program in which ICMA is a partner on a team headed by Creative Associates International. Through Alcance Positivo, ICMA supports the development and strengthening of the municipal violence prevention committees, which bring together community leaders, police, municipal staff, national government representatives, and other stakeholders. This program also provides direct assistance to the Child and Adolescent Police Unit of the national police as it develops community- and school-oriented initiatives for youth at risk. 

To learn more about ICMA International, visit the website and the International Development topic in the Knowledge Network, or contact international@icma.org.