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The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) led an advance team—following the major combat operations in Iraq—to assess the condition of local law enforcement institutions. Under the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, ICITAP assisted in establishing the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, and the Department of Border Enforcement. Senior managers from ICITAP also helped start up the Jordan International Police Training Center (JIPTC) for basic training of Iraqi police. In coordination with Coalition partners, ICITAP has deployed hundreds of professional trainers to Jordan and Iraq to support the training of thousands of Iraqi law enforcement personnel.
Funded by the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund—and administered by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs—ICITAP's work in Iraq is building the capacity of the government's civilian institutions and helping to establish the rule of law in the country. Today, ICITAP continues to build Iraq’s capacity in the areas of corrections, anti-corruption investigations, border security, judicial investigations, and forensics.
Current Programs
Corrections
Following the assessment conducted in 2003, ICITAP helped reestablish the Iraq Corrections Service (ICS) under the Coalition Provisional Authority. ICITAP then worked with Iraqi leaders to develop a national prison system that five years later operated 30 prisons; housed nearly 20,000 inmates; and employed, trained, and equipped more than 12,000 staff. ICITAP deployed a team of 80 corrections training officers to provide on-site training and mentoring to Iraqi staff at prison facilities throughout the country and to assist the Iraq Ministry of Justice in strengthening the overall management of the corrections service. The ICITAP program helps ensure that the ICS functions as a safe and secure correctional system that follows internationally recognized standards for the treatment of prisoners.
Anticorruption Investigations
ICITAP established a training and mentoring program to develop the investigative capabilities of the Commission on Integrity (formerly Commission on Public Integrity)—an independent, autonomous division of the Iraqi government that focuses on preventing government corruption, and promoting transparency and the rule of law in Iraq.
Border Security
In 2003 under the Coalition Provisional Authority, ICITAP stood up the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement (DBE), consisting of both border and customs police. Now operating under the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (now known as the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission), ICITAP’s border security program is helping to build the capacity of the DBE to effectively control Iraq’s land and sea borders and ports of entry. ICITAP is helping to develop a national border security strategy and facilitating the U.S. Department of Homeland Security audits of the ports and DBE academies. ICITAP is also standardizing the curriculum and training Iraqi instructors at the four DBE training academies, where more than 12,000 border security personnel have received basic training.
Forensics
Since 2007, ICITAP has assisted the Iraq Ministry of Interior in establishing a National Criminal Evidence Laboratory System. It consists of three primary operational laboratories nationwide and a forensics teaching laboratory at the Baghdad Police College.
Judicial Investigations
ICITAP provides training in investigative techniques for Iraq’s judicial investigators and investigative judges. This is increasing the Iraqis’ ability to prosecute cases based on the collection, analysis, and presentation of evidence.
Past Programs
Police Services
From 2003-2008, ICITAP helped lead the massive police training program in Iraq. ICITAP’s involvement began in May 2003 when it deployed an assessment team to advise the Coalition Provisional Authority on the state of the Iraqi police and provided recommendations on institutional reform, training, and policy implementation. Within the first three months, ICITAP reconstituted the Iraq police service in Baghdad and established the Iraq Department of Border Enforcement. ICITAP also worked with the U.S. military to stand up the Civilian Police Assistance and Training Team (CPATT). At its height, ICITAP’s police training program in Iraq was supported by 285 ICITAP police trainers-advisors. Through CPATT, ICITAP trained more than 260,000 Iraqi police officers. ICITAP helped to establish the Baghdad Police College and 11 regional police training centers, and trained and mentored the entire Iraqi police instructor corps.
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