United States Expert on Community/Police Relations Participates in Workshop Sponsored by United States Embassy, FINJUS, PUCMM, and FLACSO

March 13, 2002

United States Expert on Community/Police Relations Participates in Workshop Sponsored by United States Embassy, FINJUS, PUCMM, and FLACSO

Santo Domingo – With the sponsorship of the United States Embassy and other prominent academic institutions and members of the Dominican civil society, a workshop was held on “Citizenry and the Police,” in which Dr. Eduardo Díaz, a United States expert on community and police relations, discussed the need for communities to improve and strengthen the relations with the police of their particular community.

The workshop was sponsored by the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy, the Institutionality and Justice Foundation (FINJUS), the Center for the Study, Prevention, and Resolution of Conflicts, of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), and the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO). The activity was held in the PUCMM.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the highest levels of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, the National Police, the National Congress, the National Magistrates´ School, the Legal Consultant´s Office of the Executive Power, the Secretariat of Women, the Military Human Rights Institute, neighborhood leaders, churches, Participación Ciudadana, and representatives of the United States Embassy. Also, organizations linked to human rights.

In his first presentation, Dr. Díaz dealt with the subject of “Justice and Police,” in which he stressed the need for communities to improve relations with the police of their respective communities. His second presentation concentrated on “The principles of participation and civic follow-up to the judicial processes,” where he touched on the history and eventual creation of follow-up committees for these processes, specifically in the United States.

Lastly, during his third intervention, he spoke on “The experiences of the review panel of Miami-Dad County (its history, creation, structure and achievements”).

Dr. Díaz´s remarks were commented on by high-level representatives of the organizations which co-sponsored the event.

Dr. Eduardo Díaz at present is Director of the Independent Review Panel of Miami-Dade County, in south Florida, an institution in charge of receiving serious complaints submitted by citizens of the County in relation to the police and other County departments.

A native of Cuba, Dr. Díaz holds a Master´s and Doctorate degrees 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 directed to reducing the levels of violence in the community.

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