March 11, 2002

United States Expert in Community/Police Relations Visits the Country to Participate in Various Encounters with the Civil Society, National Police, Academic Centers and Non-Governmental Organizations

Santo Domingo – Under the auspices of the United States Embassy and the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), Dr. Eduardo Díaz, a well known expert in police community relations spoke on the “Civic Participation and the Creation of Follow-Up Committees to Police Processes,” where he stated the need for the communities to improve and strengthen relations with the community police.

The event was attended by UNIBE law professors and students, NGO leaders, legislators, representatives of the Judicial Power, community leaders, representatives of civil society and National Police, lawyers, and the general public.

Given in the Conference Hall of the university center, Dr. Díaz covered such subjects as the role of community organizations; how to improve relations between the police and the community; the history and eventual creation of follow-up committees to police processes, specifically in the United States, as well as other important subjects.

Dr. Eduardo Díaz at present is Director of the Independent Review Board of Dade County, in south Florida, an institution in charge of hearing serious complaints submitted by the citizens of the county in regard to the police and other county departments.

A native of Cuba, Dr. Díaz has a master´s and a doctorate in psychology. He is an active promoter of better relations between the police and the community, and of the implementation of a variety of processes addressed to reducing the levels of violence in the community.

His department is in charge of formulating corrective actions and improving the established processes. He previously worked as Coordinator of Evaluation of Programs and Crime Prevention of System Support of the United States Department of Justice, and as Director of the Crime and Delinquency Prevention Division.

During his stay in this country, Dr. Díaz will participate on March 13, in a workshop on “Citizenry and the Police,” an event which will be held in the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, and which is co-sponsored by the Institutionality and Justice Foundation (FINJUS), the Latin American Social Sciences School (FLACSO), and the Center for the Study, Prevention, and Resolution of Conflicts (CEPREC) of the PUCMM.

During his participation in this event, Dr. Díaz will speak on “Justice and the Police: The Participation and Experience of the Miami-Dade Panel.”

Also participating in this seminar will be the highest level representatives of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the District Attorney, the National Police, the National Congress, the National Magistrates´ School, the Office of the Legal Consultant of the Executive Power, the Secretariat for Women, the Military Human Rights Institute, neighborhood leaders, churches, Participación Ciudadana, and representatives of the United States Embassy. Also, organizations linked to human rights will also participate.