Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly will receive on behalf of the New York City Police Department on Monday, the first U.S. Secretary of State Award for Excellence in Overseas Criminal Justice Assistance in recognition of NYPD’s training assistance in Haiti.

Creole-speaking NYPD officers have been assigned to Haiti since 2010, providing critical training in conducting investigations, anti-kidnapping strategies, and general policing support. The costs to the NYPD are reimbursed by the State Department.

The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the NYPD have been cooperating on international police training since 2010 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2011 to expand their partnership on training, advising, and mentoring of international law enforcement personnel.

Since 2010, the NYPD has supported 12 deployments to Haiti, including 68 Creole-speaking police officers, to train and mentor Haitian counterparts.

“The NYPD’s efforts have promoted the rule of law and improved Haitian National Police capacities in areas such as patrol and investigations,” the State Department said.

Commissioner Kelly has a personal interest in the program, having headed the State Department’s International Police Monitors program in Haiti in 1994-1995. The international force, comprised of professional police officers from 20 nations, ended human right abuses by Haitian police and established an interim police force as the military dictatorship in Haiti was ousted by an American-led multinational force.

Three years ago, INL started an intense effort to recruit state and local law enforcement, corrections officials, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys into their criminal justice assistance programs.

Since that time, the number of state and local partners has increased, allowing the INL to bring the best of the best from U.S. law enforcement and legal communities into their overseas criminal justice reform programs. The assistance of the partner agencies has contributed significantly to the advancement of U.S. national interests around the world.

Commissioner Kelly will be presented the Secretary of State’s “Excellence in Criminal Justice Assistance Award” which is being awarded for the first time solely to the NYPD “in recognition of the Department’s exemplary contributions to the State Department’s efforts to strengthen the rules of law and enhance U.S. diplomacy in Haiti.”

In addition, seven other criminal justice organizations will be receiving Assistant Secretary Awards and 40 INL partner agencies will be receiving Certificates of Appreciation by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William R. Brownfield.

The Atlanta Police Department, Chicago Police Department, New Mexico Corrections Department, Colorado Department of Corrections, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training and Assistance Program and the Law Library of Congress will also receive awards for “their contributions to building the capacities of foreign criminal justice personnel.”

Commission Kelly will be joined by Chief Garry McCarthy, Chicago Police Department, Chief Cathy L. Lanier, District of Colombia Metropolitan Police Department, and Chief Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Department.

(YWN Desk – NYC)