NCJ Number
123032
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1989) Pages: 589-618
Date Published
1989
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Providing training and resources to the police forces of Central America was a major objective of the Reagan Administration's policy in the region. Such aid was provided in order to enhance effective and democratic policing in those countries, but assistance has failed to achieve its stated goals.
Abstract
We argue that the overall thrust of U.S. foreign policy in the region, the politics of the recipient countries, and the organizational means to deliver aid combined to distort the implementation and impact of police assistance. The experience of past assistance programs carried out by the Office of Public Safety (OPS) provides an instructive comparison showing why U.S. police assistance continues to fail. OPS programs and assistance offered by the Reagan Administration are examined in some detail. (Publisher abstract)