Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Th e N e w Tactics project h as also b e n e fit e d fro m m ore t h a n 2000 h o urs o f w ork fro m in divid u al volu n t e ers
a n d in t erns as w ell as d o n a tio ns o f in-kin d su p p ort. So m e o f t h e instit u tio n al sp o nsors o f t his w ork inclu d e
M acalest er Colle g e, t h e M in n e a p olis Colle g e o f A rt & D esig n (M C A D), t h e U niversity o f M in n eso t a, t h e
Hig h er Ed uca tio n Co nsortiu m f or Urb a n A f f airs (HECU A), t h e M in n eso t a Justice Fo u n d a tio n a n d t h e p u blic
rela tio ns firm o f Pa dilla Sp e er Be ardsley.
Th e o pinio ns, fin din gs a n d co nclusio ns or reco m m e n d a tio ns expresse d o n t his sit e are t h ose o f t h e N e w
Tactics project a n d d o n o t n ecessarily re flect t h e vie ws o f o ur f u n d ers For a f ull list o f project sp o nsors se e
w w w.ne w tactics.org.
The vie ws expressed in this report do not necessarily re flect those o f the Ne w Tactics in Human Rights
Project. The project does not advocate specific tactics or policies.
6 In tro d uctio n
14
Police & human rights organizations
16
Promoting human rights engagement in police associations
Dear Friend,
Welcome to the New Tactics in Human Rights Tactical Notebook Series! In each notebook a human
rights practitioner describes an innovative tactic used successfully in advancing human rights. The
authors are part of the broad and diverse human rights movement, including non-government and
government perspectives, educators, law enforcement personnel, truth and reconciliation processes,
and women’s rights and mental health advocates. They have both adapted and pioneered tactics that
have contributed to human rights in their home countries. In addition, they have utilized tactics
that, when adapted, can be applied in other countries and situations to address a variety of issues.
Each notebook contains detailed information on how the author and his or her organization achieved
what they did. We want to inspire other human rights practitioners to think tactically—and to
broaden the realm of tactics considered to effectively advance human rights.
In this notebook, we learn about the efforts, ability, and commitment of law enforcement
personnel—one of the most difficult groups to reach regarding human rights—to address and
confront human rights issues and violations from their own perspective and within their own ranks.
The Liberian National Law Enforcement Association (LINLEA) was established by law enforcement
personnel themselves to address issues of poor leadership, blind loyalty, and lack of professional
training, each of which have contributed to a poor quality of services and a high incidence of human
rights abuses. LINLEA has worked to promote professionalism as a way to enhance human rights
standards and reduce incidences of abuse. This tactics provides insights into how the law
enforcement profession itself can understand the connection between professionalism and human
rights—exposing abuses when they occur—to send signals to government and civil society that action
can and must be taken to address abuses.
The New Tactics in Human Rights Project is an international initiative led by a diverse group of
organizations and practitioners from around the world. The project is coordinated by the Center for
Victims of Torture (CVT), and grew out of our experiences as a creator of new tactics and as a
treatment center that also advocates for the protection of human rights from a unique position—one
of healing and of reclaiming civic leadership.
We hope that you will find these notebooks informational and thought provoking.
Sincerely,
Kate Kelsch
New Tactics Project Manager
Introduction lum specialists o f la w en f orcemen t agencies, an d a
As dictated by canons of police ethics, w hich instruct workshop on Policy Formulation and Development for
o f ficers t o resp ect t h e co nstit u tio n al rig h ts o f all la w enforcement planners and administrators.
peo ple t o liberty, eq uality, an d justice, la w en f orce-
ment officers are supposed to be the leading human W e believe that an association of this sort is the most
rights protectors and promoters everyw here in the effective w ay to bring about change in police behav-
w orld. Unfortunately, due to lack of training and disci- ior. Human rights organizations can raise a w areness
pline, poor leadership, and political manipulation, law of the nature and incidents of human rights abuses in
en f orcemen t perso n nel o f ten en gage in u n pro f es- society. But w hen a professional body related to la w
sional conduct that leads to abuses of human rights. en f orcemen t becomes involved in hig hlig h tin g an d
exp osing these ab uses, it sen ds a dif f eren t signal to
In 1993, a f ter the w ar in Liberia, w e evaluated the the government and to the police department itself,
situation within the police department. A n estimated a signal they are more likely to heed.
40 percen t o f la w en f orcemen t perso n nel had n o t
received basic training. Discipline levels w ere very lo w. In this notebook I describe the creation of our police
M ore recen tly, w e have seen h o w a regime can ap- associatio n, an d t he develo pmen t o f o ur w ork su p-
point la w enforcement officials w ho can be manipu- porting within the police force a professional attitude
lated to perpetuate, through oppression, suppression, that is respectful of human rights. I then discuss some
and intimidation, the regime’s tenure. o f t he q uestio ns relevan t t o t he use o f t his tactic in
other contexts. W hether you are a concerned la w en-
To address these issues of unprofessionalism and hu- forcement professional or a human rights activist, it is
man rights abuses, w e decided to establish a profes- my hope that this analysis will help you consider ho w
sional association: The Liberian National La w Enforce- steps can be taken t o pro f essio nalize t he p olice an d
ment Association, or LINLEA. LINLEA promotes train- improve its h uman rig h ts record in yo ur o w n sit ua-
ing opportunities for la w enforcement officers; advo- tion.
cates for a merit-based system of promotion, the ap-
p oin tmen t o f q ualified administrat ors, an d f air an d The Liberian context
impartial adjudication of complaints against officers; & the birth of LINLEA
and discourages partisanship and political manipula- LIBERIA & ITS POLICE: POLITICAL BACKGROUND
tion of la w enforcement agencies. The oldest independent A frican country, Liberia w as
f o u n ded by freed A merican slaves, an d its g overn-
A t LINLEA w e use a variety o f means to achieve our mental system w as modeled on that of the U.S. Prior
objectives. W e host professional training w orkshops to 1980, Liberia w as o ne o f the most peace f ul an d
for la w enforcement officers, and organize public lec- stable co u n tries in A frica. Its criminal justice system
ture f orums an d radio programs to discuss issues re- w as functioning fairly w ell. The police and other la w
lated t o t he administratio n o f justice. W e p u blish a en f orcement agencies benefited from quality train-
journal to educate readers on the role of the criminal in g. Stan dards in t hese agencies w ere hig h. Promo-
justice system, its problems and challenges, and issues tions w ere competitive. Discipline w as solid. The coun-
of democracy and human rights. In addition, w e advo- try had a modern prison and w ell-functioning courts.
cate for reforms of la w enforcement and criminal jus-
tice instit u tio ns, co n d uct research o n t he causes o f The population, ho w ever, w as divided bet w een indig-
crime an d t he resp o nses o f t he criminal justice sys- e n o us Lib eria ns a n d t h ose d esce n d e d fro m free d
tem, and publish our findings and recommendations. slaves, w ho had ruled since 1847. Discontent exploded
o n t o t he scene w it h a blo o dy military co u p in 1980,
As our organization has gro w n in size and credibility, w hich brought into po w er the People’s Redemption
w e have also been able t o call at ten tio n t o in ternal Council (PRC), led by M aster Sergeant Samuel K. Doe.
problems and unprofessional behavior in the depart-
ment, and demand justice for victims—including un- The early years o f the coup era sa w a series o f sum-
f airly accused p olice o f ficers. W e are begin nin g t o mary executions, extrajudicial killings and disappear-
monitor and catalogue police abuses. ances, and torture of political opponents. Law enforce-
ment agencies absorbed many unqualified personnel
LINLEA no w has over 500 members, including nearly selected on tribal and political grounds. Promotions
20 percent of the police force, as w ell as many mem- were politicized, rather than based on merit. The qual-
bers of other la w enforcement institutions. Through ity of services deteriorated significantly. La w enforce-
o ur Cen ter f or Criminal Justice Research an d Ed uca- ment officers became corrupt, and the previous high
tio n, w e have been able t o provide leadership an d level o f discipline w as u n dermined by p o or su pervi-
human rights training for 223 senior la w enforcement sion and control.
o f ficers. The Cen ter has also co n d ucted a trainin g
w orkshop for la w enforcement trainers and curricu-
6
In 1982, a f ter a scandalous corruption incident, Doe WHY FORM A POLICE ASSOCIATION?
bro u g h t in a p olice a d ministra t or t o re b uild t h e Ironically, those w ho killed police officers during the
department’s credibility. Chief Wilfred E. Clark created civil crisis w ere often absorbed into the police or other
a stro n g pro f essio nal sense o f directio n t hat helped security agencies. W hen t he p olice departmen t an d
regain the confidence of the public. other law enforcement units were reactivated in 1991,
co nsiderable damage had been d o ne t o b o t h t heir
Clark made significant progress in terms of manpo wer infrastructure and manpo w er resources. M any offic-
an d organizatio nal develo pmen t d urin g his ten ure ers had fled to o ther cou n tries; some w ere in rebel-
(1982–1990). The first duty manual, for example, w as co n trolled territ ories, involved in la w en f orcemen t
developed and published in March 1984. O fficers were d u ties or active combat w it h t he rebel f orce; o t hers
enco uraged t o p ursue hig her ed ucatio n, an d t h ose simply refused to report for duty.
earning bachelor’s degrees w ere given pay raises and
promo tio ns. Three o f ficers bene fited from sch olar- To fill vacant positions the police administration be-
ships provided by the A tlanta University Criminal Jus- gan t o promo te an d assig n o f ficers in hap hazard or
tice Institute to pursue postgraduate studies in crimi- politicized w ays. Fe w ne w employees met the educa-
nal justice. tional standards prescribed by the department. Spe-
cialized tasks w ere given to people without the requi-
Clark discouraged officers from joining political par- site pro fessional competence or experience. M orale
ties. Executives and command personnel were allowed became lo w, and a lack o f discipline f ollo w ed. A sig-
input into the decision-making process, and could dis- nificant number of trained and experienced of ficers
cuss issues o f serious concern at w eekly senior sta f f w ere reluctant to render courtesy to superiors they
meetin gs. Clark enco uraged discussio n o f any issue f elt lacked leadership ability, su pervisory skills, an d
t hat mig h t u n dermine t he pro f essio nal in tegrity o f technical kno w-ho w. It became more and more diffi-
the department. A f ter an aborted coup attempt in cult to get the administration to apply sound mana-
1985, President Doe had the military and other secu- gerial principles in managing the police department.
rity forces viciously tracking do w n his opponents, but Pro f essio nalism deteriorated, an d w it h it, p u blic re-
Clark w as able to control behavior within the depart- spect and trust.
men t, even exercizin g a mo deratin g in fluence over
relatives of the president w ho w ere under his leader- A fter frustrated attempts to promote internal reform
ship. During the height o f the w ar in 1990, w hen his proposals, in my role as the chief of Planning and Re-
o w n life w as at risk, he took steps to ensure that tribal search I met with the Chief o f Personnel in late 1993
or p olitical divisio ns w o uld n o t take ro o t in t he de- to discuss ho w to place pressure on police administra-
partment. tors to adhere to the police handbook and administer
the f orce in a more pro f essio nal man ner. M o tivated
Thro u g h o u t t his perio d, violatio ns o f h uman rig h ts by t he impact o f t he In ternatio nal Associatio n o f
w ere attributed mainly to the military and other se- Chiefs of Police (IACP) in promoting professionalism,
curity f orces, n o t t he p olice. Sadly, as t he w ar esca- w e decided to establish a professional association for
lated in 1989–1990, scores o f police o f ficers w ere la w enforcement personnel and support staff. Since it
killed, including seven high-level police officials, and w as difficult to correct the ills of the department from
Clark w as forced to flee the country. In combination within, we felt that a professional body operating out-
with corruption and bad governance, the serious hu- side the scope of police administrators w ould be more
man righ ts abuses committed by the military an d a effective.
group of security officers helped lead to a seven-year
civil conflict (1990–1997), the collapse of the govern- The La w Enforcement Association w as thus conceived
men t, an d t he deat hs o f h u n dreds o f t h o usan ds o f with the follo wing objectives:
Liberians—including many la w enforcement profes- • t o brin g t o get her all la w en f orcemen t agencies
sionals. and personnel to constitute a consolidated asso-
ciation or consortium;
The rebellion of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia • t o ensure t hat t he et hics an d can o ns o f t he la w
(NPFL) in December 1989 led to the intervention o f enforcement profession are strictly observed and
t h e Eco n o mic Co m m u nity o f W est A frica n St a t es adhered to;
(ECO W AS), and brought about the establishment of • t o liaise w it h ap pro priate g overnmen t au t h ori-
an interim administration in 1991. The police and other ties to ensure the passage of legislation that will
law enforcement agencies were reactivated, but many from time to time improve the practice o f la w
of the problems experienced during the coups of the enforcement; improve the living standard of par-
1980s resurfaced—including the employment, promo- ticipan ts o f t he pro f essio n; an d g uaran tee t he
tion, and assignment of personnel without reference safety and w ell-being of the men and w omen of
to departmental policy guidelines. Seeing these prob- the profession;
lems, some o f us w h o had served w it h Chie f Clark
began looking for a w ay to improve the situation.
8
had allocated about $1.9 million to assist the judiciary • research and publications
and the police in the reform process as they prepared • public education
for the follo wing year’s elections. • advocacy regarding policies and legislation
• advocacy regarding the appointment of qualified
This support did have its costs. The money w as condi- administrators.
tio nal o n t he removal o f Chie f Tate. w h o had been • advocacy for adjudication of complaints (fair and
accused by the U.S. government of being involved in impartial) an d actio ns against o f ficers w h o vio-
atrocities during the w ar. Desperate to receive the late
funds and to gain U.S. support, other members of the
Liberia National Transitional Government (LNTG) pres- W e have organized these into three major programs:
sured Charles Taylor, one of the faction heads, to have • La w Enforcement Training and Education
his nominee replaced, w hich he did. Tate accused the • Human Rights Promotion and A dvocacy
Association of masterminding his removal by organiz- • W elfare and Labor Relations
in g t he w orksh o p, an d w it hin a year he t o ok his re-
venge. GENERAL PROFESSIONAL TRAINING:
IMPLICATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
A police association Although LINLEA addresses human rights as a delib-
working for human rights erate part o f its mandate, this f alls within a broader
With a population of 2.7 million, Liberia has only 3,500– mission and program of promoting overall profession-
4,000 police o f ficers, a very lo w per capita presence. alism, w hich w e believe has many bene fits f or t he
O f these, 500 belong to LINLEA. The organization has police beyond its impact on human rights. W e believe
a t w o-tiered membership structure: Regular members that improvements in human rights performance are
must be trained police, w hile associate members may a lo gical co nseq uence o f improved pro f essio nalism,
join without training. W e believe that the organiza- and w e articulate this link in our trainings.
tio n sh o uld n o t by ru n be an o f ficer in t he depart-
ment; such officers are under the disciplinary control The association seeks to improve the leadership styles
of the Chief of Police, and thus inhibited in their reac- o f administrators o f la w en f orcement agencies, en-
tions to sensitive issues. LINLEA’s constitution also pro- courage a participatory decision-making process, and
hibits o f ficers from bein g members o f p olitical par- develop policies and procedural guidelines for man-
ties. M embers can vo te, b u t can n o t at ten d p olitical aging agency resources. W e also seek to improve the
meetin gs or be partisan. Party co n trol o f p olice de- attitude and conduct of individual officers, w hich re-
stroys independence and continuity. sults in improved services, a better image for the pro-
fession and its members, a reduction in human rights
Initially, LINLEA did n o t have a direct h uman rig h ts abuses and other acts of unprofessionalism, and, as a
advocacy focus. It w as implied that if law enforcement result, increased su p p ort an d co o peratio n from t he
o f ficers w ere pro f essional in the discharge o f their public.
duties, and good leadership kept in check those w ho
deviated from professional standards, human rights In LINLEA’s Human Rights and Leadership training, w e
violations w ould be at a minimum. cover the follo wing topics:
• principles of management and la w enforcement
We did, h o w ever, co n d uct an analysis o f f act ors re- administration
sp o nsible f or t hese violatio ns. W e f o u n d t hat issues • constitutional provisions as they relate to the ad-
co n trib u tin g t o h uman rig h ts ab uses by o f ficers in- ministration of justice and the rule of la w
cluded lack of training and discipline, poor leadership, • human rights as it relates to la w enforcement
an d deliberate manip ulatio n o f la w en f orcemen t • leadership and supervision
agencies by the regime in po w er, resulting in the sup- • human relations
pression of freedom and the intimidation of the popu-
lace. W e also concluded that the la ws establishing la w O ur training and outreach also has a multiplier effect.
en f orcemen t agencies, t he p olicies an d proced ural Follo w in g t he p u blicatio n o f o ur research rep ort o n
mechanisms f or managing these agencies, the lead- the Liberian criminal justice system, some agencies
ership styles an d abilities o f execu tives, the o f ficers’ began t heir o w n trainin g an d set u p commit tees t o
conduct and attitudes, and the citizens’ attitudes to- develop policy manuals to guide their organizations.
w ard criminal justice instit u tio ns co n trib u ted t o t he W e are no w conducting a training of trainers: a one-
poor performance and poor human rights records of week training for curriculum development to promote
the agencies. W e decided, therefore, to prioritize hu- pro f essionalism. The participan ts w ill research the
man rights as a core policy issue. trainin g needs o f t heir o w n instit u tio ns, an d w e are
w orkin g w it h a teacher’s college t o provide instruc-
To do so, LINLEA carries out the follo wing activities: tion on basic techniques of curriculum development
• training of officers in human rights, ethics, lead- and evaluation. W e will also conduct a training on ba-
ership, and basic police skills sic policy development and procedural manuals.
10
Due to lack of funding, w e have not yet been able to ken bet w een the p olice
effectively and thoroughly monitor and catalogue po- and LINLEA. W e chose to
lice ab uses. We are, h o w ever, develo pin g a La w En- ignore him, avoid officially
forcement Professional Standards and Human Rights inviting the police depart-
O f fice, t o be f ully resp o nsible f or mo nit orin g com- m e n t t o o ur f u nctio ns,
plaints of abuses and overseeing the handling of these an d deal o nly w it h o ur
complaints. W e do have an ethics committee that in- m e m b ers w h o w ere in
vestigates complaints against our o w n members, w ho the service. Since other in-
accept the possibility of investigation w hen they join stitutions were attending Participants at a policy formation and develop-
LINLEA. and benefiting from our ment workshop held at CCJRE, April 9–12,
2003.
trainin g pro gra ms, t h e
Despite the lack of effective official mechanisms, w e p olice began t o f eel iso-
have been able to use our influence and activities to lated. Eventually M ulbah
in tervene an d st o p ab uses. Human rig h ts organiza- allo w ed eight of ficers to
tions had long found it difficult, for example, to per- participate in a trainin g
suade the courts to compel la w en f orcement execu- w o r ksh o p h e l d a t o u r
tives to honor the writ of habeas corpus. Several per- ce n t e r, a n d p e r m i t t e d
sons arrested by la w enforcement agencies, particu- training officers from the
larly for alleged offenses committed against the state, Police Academy to partici-
w ere held w it h o u t bein g taken t o t he co urt w it hin pate in a training of train-
the 48 hours prescribed by the Constitution. Concerned ers w orksh o p. W e h ope
about this flagrant violation, LINLEA hosted a forum to take advantage of this Panelists at the Wilfred E. Clark lecture forum,
discussing the role of the law enforcement
to discuss the significance of the writ of habeas corpus chan ge o f heart an d in-
community in promoting peace, reconciliation,
in upholding the rule of la w and protecting the rights tensify our training work- and security for all; August 15, 2002.
of accused persons. W e invited representatives of the shops for police officers.
Bar Association, the Justice Ministry, and the Catholic
Church Justice and Peace Commission to serve as pan- This aspect o f our w ork
elists. Since the forum, law enforcement agencies have cle arly carries in h ere n t
begun adhering to the constitutional provision regard- risks. Pu blic co n demna-
ing the writ and are now complying with related court tio n o f h u m a n rig h ts
orders. A f e w days a f ter the f orum, in f act, a human a b uses by la w e n f orce-
rights la wyer w as arrested and surprisingly, within the ment executives may trig-
48-hour period, w as charged and brought to court. ger a backlash, creating
sit uatio ns in w hich su p-
In 2000, a member o f our Association w as arrested port f or our programs is LINLEA President Cecil B. Griffiths in office.
and detained for 100 days for allegedly communicat- w it h held an d execu tives
ing with a military official in neighboring Guinea. W e prohibit officers from officially participating in the ac-
felt that if the officer w as indeed involved, he should tivities and programs of LINLEA.
be f orw arded t o co urt rat her t han in de finitely de-
tained without trial. A fter w e wrote a letter inquiring STANDING UP FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS
into his case, he w as accused of espionage. W e w ent OF LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKERS
to the judge to ask that the man be charged and tried, As just described, police officers themselves are some-
but the police still refused to charge him. W e returned times victims o f ab use by o f ficials. In these cases w e
to the judge, and finally threatened to go to the Su- assist in grievance procedures. If officers are detained
preme Court. The f ollo w in g Saturday, the man w as or wrongfully charged, w e advocate for their release
released. W e w anted to further protest this mistreat- or f or justice. LINLEA is tryin g t o develo p a la w en-
men t, b u t t he man co ncerned f elt it w o uld be t o o forcement officer’s Bill of Rights for Liberian O fficers
risky for him, and he ultimately fled the country. to be enacted into la w. W ith the passage o f this bill,
and our inclusion of this topic as part of our training,
In 2002, Director of Police Paul E. M ulbah personally officers will be a w are of their rights and able to claim
arrested the head o f the Catholic Justice and Peace them.
Commission. He also had t w o officers publicly flogged
without due cause, as vengeance for their having ques- Repression against LINLEA
tioned his decisions in a meeting, and w as responsible LINLEA had a particularly difficult time after the 1997
f or t he flo g gin g an d t ort ure o f h uman rig h ts advo- elections, due to our outspoken stance in support of
cate Tia w o n Go n gloe w hile in p olice cust o dy. These the restructuring of the security forces, and our criti-
actions prompted us to criticize him during a live radio cisms of Chief Tate. As described earlier, Tate w as ac-
talk sho w. The chief did not take w ell to this criticism, cused o f w ar crimes by t he U.S., an d removed from
and vowed to discontinue his support for our programs o f fice as a co n ditio n o f U.S. security assistance. Be-
an d activities. For several mo n t hs, co n tact w as bro- cause of the timing of a LINLEA conference on police
Tate’s replacement as chief of police, Paul E. M ulbah, The t hird f act or is t he p olitical manip ulatio n o f la w
did not warm to us quickly. W hen we publicly criticized en f orcemen t instit u tio ns f or p olitical gain. Political
the arrest an d deten tio n o f a h uman righ ts activist leaders ap p oin t t h ose loyal t o t hem, t h ose t hey can
an d t he flo g gin g o f t w o p olice o f ficers u p o n his or- trust to do their bidding. This leads to violations that
ders, he vo w ed not to cooperate with us, and notified are externally motivated. To address this w e must
heads of other la w enforcement agencies of his deci- persuade the la w enforcement community to reflect
sion. This relationship has since improved some w hat, on its role in society through interaction with la w en-
in part d ue t o t he serio usness an d credibility o f o ur forcement professionals from other countries. Police
w ork and publications. need to be encouraged to see their role as serving the
citizenry, not the regime in po w er. By building a sense
Although opposition to LINLEA still exists, it is limited o f pride in t he pro f essio n, agencies can b uild u p
to executives with very close connections to the presi- greater in ternal resistance to the kin d o f p olitical
den t. O ne agency head co n tin ues t o in timidate an d manipulation that can turn a good police force into a
threaten members with dismissal for associating with tool for repression.
LINLEA. Q uite recently, three of our members resigned
from this agency to w ork full time with us; the agency W e believe that most human rights violations by po-
head is no w refusing to cooperate with LINLEA. lice in Liberia, especially those occurring between 1991
12
an d 1997, co uld be at trib u ted t o u n pro f essio nal er- b uild an e f f ective an d le-
rors caused by a lack of training and discipline. A fter gitimate association. The
the 1997 elections brought the NPP into po w er, ho w- founders of our association
ever, many rebel commanders and fighters w ere ab- w e r e l a w e n f o rce m e n t
sorbed into law enforcement agencies, and command- perso n nel w h o had seen,
ers w ere app oin ted heads o f security u nits at vital u n der Chie f Clark, h o w a
public installations and facilities, such as the Freeport pro f essio nal departmen t
of Monrovia, the Telecommunications Corporation, the should be run. We had con- Female chapter of LINLEA celebrating first
Electricity Corporation, the International Airport, and tacts within public and pri- anniversary, December 12, 2001.
the la w enforcement agencies. A t this point, the level v a t e l a w e n f o rce m e n t
of human rights violations began to take on ne w di- agencies, and w e had the
mensions. su p p ort o f a la w yer as
w ell, w h o w as invited t o
In 1997, f or instance, a f e w months a f ter the ne w join the organizing com-
g overnmen t t o ok o f fice, prominen t p olitician Sam m i t t e e t o o b t a i n f irst-
Dokie, his wife, and a close relative w ere killed, alleg- han d kn o w led ge o f o ur
edly by members o f t he Special Security Service, t he aims and objectives. W e
agency responsible for protecting the President and w ere also a ble t o g ain
other VIPs. To date, those accused are yet to face jus- su p p ort from t he M inis-
tice. The con duct o f the A n ti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), a ter o f Justice and other
military f orce created by the presiden t, has also in- hig h-level la w e n f orce- Professor Anthony D. Kromah, Associate
creased the level of human rights violations. This unit men t o f ficials. This su p- Director of CCJRE, lecturing on the
has been accused of torture, and of inhumane treat- port has not alw ays been significance of training during the training of
trainers workshop.
ment of civilians detained at their bases. co nsist e n t, f or p olitical
reasons, and at times w e
O ne o f the greatest co ncerns o f LINLEA an d o f the exp erie nce d h arassm e n t
h uman rig h ts organizatio ns in Liberia is t he issue o f from officials, but currently
impunity. Many acts of lawlessness, unprofessionalism, some of that initial level of
and human rights violations go unpunished, and the support is being restored.
actio ns o f t he ATU an d Special O peratio n Divisio n
(SO D), the para-military wing of the police, continue FINANCIAL RESOURCES
to go unchecked. W e re q u est e d fro m o ur
members annual dues o f
The SO D, w hich should be analagous to the " SW AT " one hundred Liberian dol-
(Special Weapons A nd Tactics) teams of U..S police de- lars. Because o f the eco-
partments, w as reorganized and staffed with ex-com- n omic co nstrain ts f acin g Participants at leadership and human rights
workshop, December 12, 2002, Monrovia City
batants. A para-military Border Patrol Unit w as also w orkers, w e also h osted Hall.
established w it hin t he Bureau o f Immigratio n an d f u n draisers t o a u g m e n t
Naturalization and staffed with ex-fighters. Because these dues. W e received some funding from the U.S.
o f the loyalty o f the men an d comman ders o f these government (support f or the la w en f orcement re-
units, they are fully involved in the w ar. Acts of unpro- structuring w orkshops in 1996 and 1997, and support
f essio nal co n d uct or repressive behavior are n o t ad- for the publication of the criminal justice revie w jour-
equately addressed by heads of agencies because of nal), an d d urin g t he perio d o f in tense in timidatio n,
their relationship with the president. o f fice space and financial support w ere provided by
the Association of Liberian Professional Organizations
This not an easy situation to tackle. In our radio pro- (ALPO), a civil society organization. W e no w receive
grams, public lecture forums, and literature, w e con- f u n din g from t he Natio nal En d o w men t f or Democ-
tin ue t o discuss t he need t o improve en f orcemen t racy (NED), based in W ashington, D.C., for our Center
agencies through training and education, and to en- for Criminal Justice Research and Education program,
co urage civil society t o pressure t he g overnmen t t o and the Norwegian Human Rights Funds provide fund-
reform. ing for our Professional Standards and Human Rights
O ffice.
Discussion II: Necessary
resources Discussion III: The police & the mili-
HUMAN RESOURCES tary
O ur most critical reso urce is p olice o f ficers w h o be- The Liberian police and military had historically re-
lieve in professionalism. Every police department has mained separate, but after the 1980 coup and the
them, but they are not alw ays visible w hen a depart- ongoing conflict they begun to overlap in their “secu-
men t is a f f ected by p olitical or armed co n flict, or by rity” functions, and to carry out some joint operations.
corruption.They are, ho w ever, the people needed to M ost devastatingly, since 1997 the police have had to
14
• In a situation w here some security forces or indi- lo w er profile, looking for allies among your col-
viduals are engaged in unpro fessional behavior leag ues, w it hin civil society, an d in t he in terna-
or politically motivated human rights abuses, the tional community.
reputation of all practitioners is damaged. They
need an association to assert their commitment There are a number o f steps that can be initiated to
to professionalism and separate themselves from prepare la w enforcement of ficers to establish a net-
the crimes committed by others. w ork to promote human rights among themselves:
• La w enforcement practitioners w ork under a hi- • Co n tact in ternatio nal organizatio ns o f la w en-
erarchy of obedience to discipline, but they also f orcement pro fessionals. The IACP, f or instance,
have a right to benefit from an independent space tackles unprofessionalism by developing training
t o discuss issues an d voice co ncerns amo n g col- programs in collaboration with la w enforcement
leagues. trainin g instit u tio ns an d u niversities. It also ad-
• La w en f orcemen t o f ficers can be victimized by dresses t he issue o f leadership t hro u g h an n ual
t heir instit u tio ns—u n f airly accused, detained, international and regional conferences. The IACP
punished, denied promotions, and discriminated has been successful in its programs because it has
against. They need an independent body that will su f ficien t f u n din g, an d because t he caliber an d
stand up and advocate for their needs. status of members give the organization promi-
• If a la w en f orcemen t agency is g oin g t hro u g h a nence.
difficult time, in w hich discipline and profession- • Host regio nal co n f erences f or heads o f la w en-
alism have broken down or political manipulation forcement agencies to discuss administrative and
is in tense, callin g at ten tio n t o role mo dels an d human rights issues. During such conferences, the
time periods in w hich a higher level of profession- role o f unions and pro fessional associations can
alism w as achieved can encourage colleagues to be discussed. Delegates can be enco uraged t o
maintain hope that the situation can be improved. become members o f the IACP or other interna-
tional la w enforcement association. Such a w are-
If you have a group o f o f ficers interested in f orming ness will be necessary to generate support w hen-
such an organization, consider the following questions: ever a local la w enforcement association is to be
• Do other professional organizations, such as the established.
Bar Associatio n or Teachers Associatio n, exist in • Set up regional professional la w enforcement as-
yo ur co u n try? W hat can yo u learn from t hem sociations such as the “ W est A frican Association
about the process of establishing such an organi- of Chiefs of Police ” or the “ W est A frican Union of
zation? Law Enforcement Associations.” With the support
• Are there any la ws prohibiting la w enforcement of the IACP and international human rights orga-
officers from becoming members of professional nizatio ns, t hese regio nal b o des may be able t o
organizatio ns? If so, yo u may first need t o cam- develop a w areness of the professional role of the
paign to change such la ws. You may be aided by p olice an d o ther la w en f orcemen t agencies in a
in ternatio nal su p p ort, given t hat in depen den t democracy.
police associations are common in many countries, • Establish criminal justice research centers to con-
an d can play a very p ositive role in assistin g la w d uct st u dies o n t he causes o f crime an d o n t he
enforcement. criminal justice system, opinion surveys on public
• W hat is the government’s attitude to w ards hu- perceptions of the police system, and other stud-
man rights activism and independent civil society? ies t o provide data t hat co uld help la w en f orce-
Has t he g overnmen t sh o w n w illin g ness t o im- ment agencies reflect on their performances, while
prove t he h uman rig h ts sit uatio n or is it h ostile recommen din g actio ns t o t o ad dress t he sit ua-
to w ards human rights advocates? tion. Such research helps demonstrate the impor-
• W hat is the nature of human rights violations in tan t role t hat an associatio n may play. The cen-
your country? W hat has been the involvement of ters could conduct workshops for law enforcement
your la w enforcement institution in these viola- officers on human rights, ethics, democracy, and
tio ns? Has t his involvemen t, or lack o f it, been o t her t o pics. These initiatives sh o uld n o t be an-
internally or externally motivated? tagonistic in nature, and criticisms should be con-
• Depending on the political situation, w here can structive and limited.
yo u fin d allies? If, f or instance, a breakd o w n in
discipline or professionalism has caused scandals ENSURING A HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA
or sit uatio ns w hich create a bad image f or t he O nce yo u have established an associatio n, or if yo u
country, you may find that high government offi- already have one, ho w can you ensure that it carries
cials, parliament members, and others are very out a strong agenda in support of human rights?
supportive of any campaign to address the prob-
lem. O n the other hand, if the police department Despite the frequent use of police for repression, and
is su f f erin g from excessive p olitical co n trol by a the adversarial relationship that often exists bet w een
repressive regime, you may need to cho ose a la w enforcement and human rights groups, it is fun-
16
Human rights organizations can also encourage their
international counterparts to organize forums involv-
ing la w enforcement. If local police chiefs are invited
t o an in ternatio nal f orum co-sp o nsored by in terna-
tio nal h uman rig h ts gro u ps as w ell as in ternatio nal
la w en f orcement associations, the link bet w een the
t w o communities gains further credibility, and the lo-
cal la w en f orcemen t pro f essio nal is given a special
opportunity to learn and share with other profession-
als in both fields.
18
N OTES