Policing in Emerging Democracies: Workshop Papers and Highlights

• NCJ Number: 167024
• Date Published: October 1997
• Length: 113 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research Report
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Conference Material

Annotation

These workshop papers and addresses examine issues related to the role of the United States in providing technical assistance for police reform in nations with emerging democracies.

Abstract

Opening remarks by the directors of the two Federal agencies that sponsored the workshop note that the intent of the exchange of ideas and information at the workshop is to contribute to the further development of policy in support of policing in emerging democracies. The four commissioned papers and other addresses explore a range of issues related to policing in emerging democracies, including the relationship of policing to democracy and of democracy to policing, how the United States defines its interests in offering assistance, and the shifts in the role of government in democratic societies that is in turn shaping policing and other institutions. Some of the addresses draw from the presenters' own recent experiences in assisting police in Eastern Europe and Latin America. One paper advises that the United States should invest in strong democratic systems that can and will press for equal application of the law to the powerful as well as the weak; this means taking a forceful stand on corruption, bias, political violence, and intimidation. Another paper presents a case study of the U.S. role in setting up a new police force in Haiti following the intervention led by the United States. One presenter reports on his experience in working with the South African government to promote a vision of police reform that emphasizes community policing. Other papers address support for democratic policing in Hungary and Romania, the limitations on attempting to shape an emerging democracy by inculcating democratic principles in policing, and a summary of a conceptual framework for understanding and analyzing strategies to promote police reform in emerging democracies. For individual papers, see NCJ-169423-30.