United States: ICITAP Observes Thirty-Eighth Anniversary

On January 6, ICITAP observed its 38-year anniversary. Since January 6, 1986, ICITAP has strengthened national security by advancing U.S. law enforcement operations abroad through training, mentoring, and technical assistance in 117 countries worldwide (see ICITAP map for current presence). As a result of Congress passing legislation in 1985 to expand a waiver to Section 660 to include “programs to enhance investigative capabilities conducted under judicial or prosecutorial control,” Section 534(b)(3) of the Foreign Assistance Act authorized the establishment of ICITAP in 1986. ICITAP was funded at $1.52 million for its first year – and was located in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General for the next six – to help gain prosecution in key human rights cases in El Salvador and to bolster the criminal investigative capacity of Latin American security forces. Since 1993, ICITAP has been a member of the Criminal Division family and has expanded its areas of expertise to include: Academy and Instructor Development; Basic Police Services; Community Policing / Engagement; Corrections / Prison Management; Countering Violent Extremism; Counterterrorism; Counter-trafficking; Counter-transnational criminal organizations; Criminal Investigations; Criminal Justice Coordination; Cyber and Intellectual Property Crime; Emergency Communications; Forensics; Information Systems; Marine and Border Security; Organizational Development; Public Affairs / Strategic Communications; Public Integrity and Anticorruption; Specialized and Tactical Skills; and Women in Policing. Click here for ICITAP’s historical milestones since 1986.  The U.S. Department of Justice is extremely grateful to the more than 450 women and men, who serve to help protect the U.S. national security through ICITAP law enforcement capacity-building missions across the world.