Birth of the 1st Problem-Oriented Police Agency in Latin AmericaThe Panama Police Modernization Project

by:Donald S. Gosselin, BS, JDBernie Gonzalez, MS, EdDSenior Partners, Miami Boston Group

Pre-Modern Policing

• Uniform, Fast, Efficient Responses• Unidirectional Communication• Little Community Input

Transformation

Key Dates in Panamá

1903 coup

attempt Policia

Nacional created

1947 Remon Cantera

becomes PNP Commander

1952 Cantera leads

coup, becomes

President, Guardia

Nacional is formed

1968 Guardia

Nacional lead by Omar Torrijos

overthrows Arias Madrid

1981 Noriega takes

control, converts Guardia

Nacional into PDF

1989 US invades Panama

Army or Police Agency?

The Hypothesis

Management Training

Paired with Technology

Using “Top – Down” to Leverage Change

Philosophical and Organizational Change

Paradigm Shift: Paramilitary/Reactive to Problem-Oriented

PELSS/SEMAGEL

Police Executive Leadership Seminar Series

Focus on Director and Sub Director Level

Executive Study Format

Developed in partnership with MDPD

Part One: Problem-Oriented Policing and the SARA Model of Police Management.

Building on Success

Police Executive Leadership Seminar Series - PELSS

First US attempt at organizational change CA/LA

Peer to Peer, Cop to Cop

Partnerships with Police knowledge bases

6 PELSS cost $150,000

Cop to Cop creates informal feedback network

– PELSS I Panama

13 – 14, 2007January

PELSS/SEMAGEL II

PNP Changes Mission and Vision Statements 5 Weeks after PELSS I

Democratic Community Policing Institutionalized

Practical Experience in the SARA Model Develops into Nascent PNP COMPSTAT Management

President Torrijos Briefed on PNP Reform and Gives Complete Approval

PELSS/SEMAGEL III

Case Studies in Advanced Problem Solving

Boston – Gang Truce Initiative

Result: PNP Metropolitan Zone Forms Partnerships with Faith Communities

INCRIDEFA

Information de Crimenes, Denuncias y Faltas Administrativas

Nationwide Singular Crime Database

Digital Mapping of Crime in Real Time

Accurate Statistics & Evalutions – Transparency of Action/Results

Intelligence-Based Policing, Investigations and Recourse Allocation

SPI-PANAMA/CR

Partners: University of Louisville/SPI, MDPD, Boston PD, ULatina-Panama

Students: Second-in-Command Panama National Police and Costa Rican Fuerza Publica

Managing Police Change at Executive Level

SARA Model and Practicum

Development of COMPSTAT Internal Performance Measures

Thank You