Combating International and Organized Crime

Three International Visitors from Colombia—a criminal investigator, a National Police official, and a think tank-based national security analyst—participated in a project that examined the U.S. commitment to global cooperation against international crime. The trio explored techniques developed to combat a range of international criminal challenges, including drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime, trafficking in persons, money laundering, gang violence and cyber security. While in Washington, they had several appointments with the Drug Enforcement Administration, a discussion with the Organization of American States, and meetings with think tank experts. A daytrip to Baltimore afforded them the chance to meet with the Criminal Investigations Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The Los Angeles segment included discussions on investigation and prosecution of narcotics traffickers and dealers with local law enforcement. They also learned about the contribution to anti-crime measures at the University of Southern California’s Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events. From California, the visitors traveled to Pensacola, where the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) invited the Colombians to look at evidence-gathering techniques through displays created by DLE personnel especially for them. This room-to-room, multi-station overview focused on crime scenes, evidence collection kits, and stages of processing. Local offices of the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were showcased in Charlotte, the final destination of the project. While in North Carolina, they group also had a courtroom observation and a ride-along with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Force.