FBI: Transnational Gangs Part 3: Investigators And Prosecutors Join Forces

The FBI offers part 3 of a series on transnational gangs.

The success of the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE) program hinges on bringing together U.S. and Central American law enforcement officers who share a common cause in the fight against violent transnational gangs. During the most recent CALEE, an important new partner was added to the group—prosecutors.

“We have seen that when prosecutors and investigators work together from the outset, cases tend to have more successful outcomes,” said Special Agent Grant Mann, who helped plan and administer CALEE 2015, the sixth session since the program began in 2009.

In the U.S, it is typical for FBI agents and prosecutors to sit down at the beginning of an investigation to discuss possible charges and investigative strategies. Historically, that collaborative process is less common in Central America—but thanks to programs such as CALEE, it is gaining acceptance.

During the recent three-week training program focusing on transnational gangs MS-13 and 18th Street, a federal prosecutor from Los Angeles who specializes in gang cases briefed the approximately 40 CALEE participants about recent prosecutions and investigative techniques in his jurisdiction, and he traveled with the group from Los Angeles to Houston and then to El Salvador.

El Salvador Attorney General Luis Martinez assigned prosecutors to brief the group in San Salvador and embraced the concept of his office and the police working together from the beginning of an investigation. “Gang members are terrorists who have penetrated our institutions,” he said. “We have to fight this for a better future, for the well being of our families.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2016/january/transnational-gangs-part-3-investigators-and-prosecutors-join-forces/transnational-gangs-part-3-investigators-and-prosecutors-join-forces?utm_campaign=email-Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=fbi-top-stories&utm_content=506097

You can also read the first and second part of the series via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2016/01/fbi-transnational-gangs-part-2.html