ICITAP Historical Milestones

ICITAP has contributed to our national security by building law enforcement capacity and strategic partnerships worldwide since 1986. The following are selected milestones in ICITAP’s work.

 ICITAP Historical Milestones in PDF

1986: ICITAP begins building criminal investigative capacities of police forces in Latin America.

1990: In the wake of Operation Just Cause in Panama, ICITAP develops and implements a plan to transition the former military security force into civilian-led police forces. This full-scale in-country police development program effectively changes ICITAP from a training organization to a full-service international law enforcement development organization.

1991: ICITAP begins assistance in what is now its longest standing country of operations: Colombia. In 2002, ICITAP becomes a partner in the Plan Colombia Justice Sector Reform Program and assists the country in its transition to an adversarial system of justice.

1992: After United Nations–mediated peace accords end El Salvador’s civil war, ICITAP helps build El Salvador’s National Civilian Police and establish the National Public Security Academy.

1994: After assessing Somalia’s police force in 1993, ICITAP deploys to Somalia to implement a police assistance project; instability and fighting terminate the project three months later.

ICITAP arrives in Haiti two days after U.S. troops and implements a five-year plan to develop a new civilian police force in Haiti; success heightens ICITAP’s recognition as a principal resource in establishing security and law enforcement in emerging democracies.

1996: After the Dayton Peace Accords are signed, ICITAP supports United Nations efforts to stand up a police force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. ICITAP’s developmental work—particularly its technical assistance in implementing modern information management systems—becomes critical to combating terrorist and organized crime threats in the region.

After peace accords between the government of Guatemala and rebel guerilla forces are signed, ICITAP assists in reforming the civilian police force.

1997: ICITAP begins providing assistance to the Newly Independent States Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and also, in the following year, to Moldova and Ukraine.

1999: Working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, ICITAP leads the building of a police academy in Kosovo and begins training the new Kosovo Police Service.

2000: ICITAP spearheads the Police Assistance Program for the Indonesian National Police after its separation from the Indonesian Armed Forces; the program expands over the years to focus on building Indonesia’s capability to combat transnational crime.

2001: ICITAP launches its first program in East Timor, supporting the creation and training of a national police force.

After participating in an assessment of Pakistan’s border security and control capabilities, ICITAP launches a program to build criminal investigations capacity, improve police management and leadership, and improve law enforcement academy curriculum and training.

In Macedonia, ICITAP provides assistance in developing the Ohrid Framework agreement after the cessation of major hostilities and launches both the U.S. government’s and the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe’s law enforcement reform missions.

2002: ICITAP leads an international advance team into Afghanistan and assists in reestablishing the Afghan National Police.

2003: ICITAP is the first civilian law enforcement development and training organization on the ground after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq; coordinating with coalition partners, ICITAP helps pen the original police assessment with recommendations; deploys hundreds of professional advisors to Iraq, and trains tens of thousands of Iraqis.

2006: ICITAP partners with the Philippine National Police to support implementation of its Integrated Transformation Plan, a ten-year strategy to professionalize the organization and enhance the capabilities of the police to fight serious crime.

ICITAP launches its first partnership with the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Malawi on a program to combat fraud and corruption. ICITAP’s partnership with MCC grows to include programs in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ukraine.

2007: Following political upheaval that prompts a call for elections in Nepal, ICITAP begins an election security training program and continues assistance in the area of police reform.

ICITAP begins projects to combat gender-based violence in Benin, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia as part of the Women’s Justice Empowerment Initiative.

2008: ICITAP expands expert assistance in Asia—standing up, training, and equipping a special marine police unit for the Indonesia National Police. Maritime enforcement capacity building activities begin in the Philippines as part of a regional triborder (Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia) maritime security initiative.

2009: ICITAP deploys experts to support the U.S. military’s operations in Afghanistan; assistance focuses on developing Afghan capacity in the areas of counternarcotics and detention/corrections.

The Civilian Response Corp unit is established in ICITAP headquarters to support the U.S. government’s strategy to implement a whole-of-government approach to reconstruction and stabilization missions.

2010: As part of the U.S. government’s Mérida Initiative—launched in response to rising drug-related violence in Mexico—ICITAP establishes a field office in Mexico and begins coordinating forensics assistance to the federal laboratories.

In Algeria, ICITAP launches its first counterterrorism program fully funded by the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

2011: After developing the Iraq Corrections Service from scratch over an eight-year period, ICITAP facilitated the transfer of thousands of detainees from U.S. facilities to Iraqi custody. Success in the first overseas corrections development effort of its kind established ICITAP as a leader in building the capacity of civilian institutions and helping to establish the rule of law in Iraq.

2013:   ICITAP plays a key planning role in the wake of the Arab Spring—supporting interagency assessments, offering recommendations, and providing limited assistance in Syria, Libya, and Egypt.

On April 5, 2013, the President signs Presidential Policy Directive 23 (PPD-23) on Security Sector Assistance (SSA), which codifies what DOJ has been doing for years to develop the capacity of and interoperability with foreign law enforcement agencies, to build overseas partnerships to fight transnational crime, and—ultimately—make the U.S. safer. The PPD identifies DOJ as a presumptive implementer in working with its counterpart agencies abroad.

DOJ and DHS enter into an unprecedented interagency MOU to coordinate the design and delivery of SSA in support of PPD-23. Specifically, the MOU formalizes a framework for cooperation and personnel exchange between ICITAP and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) as their respective departments’ lead agencies for SSA.

2014:   ICITAP modifies its law enforcement development mission in Ukraine to focus on building a new 18,000-officer national patrol police agency across 30 administrative districts in 18 months.

The U.S. Department of Justice establishes the Departmental Implementation Plan for PPD-23 on Security Sector Assistance (SSA), in which the Criminal Division is assigned responsibility for coordinating all SSA activities for DOJ —effectively leveraging ICITAP’s experience and expertise.

ICITAP is the first organization in the U.S. government to receive funding from the joint DOS and DOD Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF). The GSCF was enacted by Congress to assist countries with urgent security and stabilization needs. ICITAP receives Congressional approval to expand its maritime and terrestrial security program in the Southern Philippines.

2015:   ICITAP launches a global effort to assist key countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Balkans in countering violent extremism (CVE) in jails, detention facilities, and prisons—adhering to the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Rome Memorandum on Good Practices for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders (Rome Memorandum).

2016:   ICITAP celebrates 30 years as the U.S. government’s most experienced and innovative capability in the formulation and implementation of global security sector assistance programs that further U.S. national security interests.

2017:   A September 2017 report issued by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recommends to Congress that ICITAP be considered, and funded, as the lead agency for all future USG police assistance activities. SIGAR’s recommendations were reiterated in testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

2018:   At the request of the State Department, ICITAP entered into a partnership agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to deliver a combination of technical assistance, training, and mentoring to create a new police service within the KSA’s Ministry of Interior (MOI).

2020:  In the wake of civil disorder in communities throughout the U.S., ICITAP establishes the International Police Development Advisory Council to address issues of racial justice and police reform in order to ensure the export of best police practice to counterparts throughout the globe. 

2021:   ICITAP celebrates 35 years of successfully delivering technical assistance, capacity building, and training in over 110 partner nations around the globe.