January 29, 2019- Charge d’Affaires Gregory Garland met with six Malian law enforcement officers at the U.S. Embassy in advance of their trip to Botswana for the U.S. sponsored International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) for Community Policing and Crisis Leadership. The U.S. Embassy supports this program because it improves leadership and police-community relations. The symposium is taught by U.S. expert instructors from Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Las Vegas, Nevada’s Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
The U.S. and Malian law enforcement representatives are working together to examine how community-oriented policing can be an effective tool in building community trust. Law enforcement is a community’s best defense against criminality and plays a critical role in identifying challenges for young people and giving them alternatives through community-oriented activities. Building trust-based policing approaches can also be a useful tool for linking vulnerable populations to civil society services. Participating countries include Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Botswana.
During their trip to Botswana, Malian police officers will join their colleagues from across the region and participate in a leadership forum featuring facilitated discussions on leadership principles, ethics and organizational change strategies from the executive’s perspective. Delegates will gain essential skills in communication, critical thinking and decision making that are critical when acting in a leadership capacity during crisis situations. The participants are challenged to develop and present a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary organizational change strategy that applies community-oriented policing principles to address challenges faced in Mali and to continue their professional development after they return.
