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Interdisciplinary Exchanges Bring Together Law Enforcement from Around Mexico
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| | Practical Exercises, Mexico City, April 2015 |
In April and June, groups of prosecutors, investigators and forensic scientists from the Attorneys Generals' Offices of the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Puebla, Queretaro, Morelos and the Federal District learned about working together as a team to bring a case to trial, with the participation of experienced US investigators and litigators from Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.
Mixed-Model Distance Learning
Simultaneously, teams of US instructors shared the live lectures via videoconference in the Mexican cities of Villahermosa, Tabasco, and Cuernavaca, Morelos, and conducted practice sessions on site. The teams participated in a series of practical exercises from investigation through trial with experienced investigators and prosecutors from US agencies.
More than 130 Mexican law enforcement personnel and a dozen US instructors participated in this quarter's Exchanges. The presentations from the Interdisciplinary Exchanges were also streamed live to viewers throughout Mexico via Internet, and the recordings are available online here.
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Arizona-Sonora Attorney General Exchange
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| | Generals Brnovich and Navarro with Supreme Court Chief Justice Sotomayor |
The CWAG Alliance Partnership coordinated a visit between Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Sonora Attorney General Carlos Navarro in Hermosillo, Sonora, on April 27th to further the discussions that they began in Phoenix in March. General Brnovich and General Navarro met with Sonora Governor Guillermo Padres who expressed his desire to continue the strong working relationship between Arizona and Sonora on economic, public safety and law enforcement fronts, through the remainder of his term and beyond the 2015 elections. The Generals later met with the President of the Supreme Court, Sebastian Sotomayor Tovar to discuss the challenges the judiciary is facing with the 2016 transition to the adversarial justice system. Generals Brnovich and Navarro concluded their meetings with a dinner including attendees from the Sonora Attorney General's Office and the Arizona-Mexico Commission, which has worked for many decades to ensure strong relationships between the two states.
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Oral Trials Forum
On May 7th, in Boca del Rio, Veracruz, 1,100 participants from communities throughout the region celebrated a "Forum on Oral Trials: A New Way of Doing Justice in Veracruz." Participants came from the state Attorney General's Office, judicial branch, public defender's office, and municipal and state police. In addition, an online audience was able to participate via internet. The morning featured experienced US prosecutors and litigators discussing various aspects of oral trials, and the afternoon featured local personnel as participants in a simulated oral trial that highlights best practices in oral litigation. Video of the event is available online.
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| | Mock Trial at Veracruz Forum |
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Legal Argument Internet Seminar 
On Tuesday, April 7th, the CWAG Alliance Partnership broadcast its first legal seminar streamed live in Spanish, "Argumentación Jurídica en el Ámbito de la Procuración de Justicia" (Legal Argument in the Criminal Justice Context), to more than 600 unique viewers throughout Mexico. Veteran prosecutors from the Cook County (Illinois) State's Attorney's Office shared their experiences with the structure and presentation of effective arguments throughout the legal process.
The legal topic seminars join CWAG's established series of streamed presentations on the Administration of State Attorneys General's Offices. Previously transmitted seminars recordings are available on CWAG's LiveStream site. |
CWAG Alliance Partnership Programs
The CWAG Alliance Partnership facilitates collaboration between U.S. and Mexican state Attorneys General's Offices. Available services include:
- Contacts Database
- Comprehensive, sortable contact information for people involved with AP trainings, meetings and events
- Quick-Response Contact Information
- Direct contacts within the U.S. and Mexican AGO's for help on specific cases
- Case Consulting
- Help with case preparation, from investigation to presentation in court, by a U.S. criminal prosecutor experienced in oral trials
- Office Reviews/Efficiency Audits
- A team of experts observes and advises on processes and procedures, to help address a specific issue or give a general perspective
- Best Practices Consulting
- Experienced professionals share hard-earned knowledge about issues in administration of justice
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Visit the CWAG Alliance Partnership Website
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Instructor Spotlight: Cecilia Abundis
On June 3rd, CWAG Alliance Partnership instructor Cecilia Abundis, Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, was honored by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) at its 2015 Chicago Awards Gala, with the award for Excellence in Legal Service. The CWAG Attorneys General and Alliance Partnership staff congratulate Cecilia Abundis, and thank her for her many years of support for CWAG's programming.
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NAGTRI-CWAG Collaboration
CWAG sponsored a senior prosecutor from the Mexico City Attorney General's Office to participate in this week-long law enforcement exchange at the National Association of Attorneys General Training and Research Institute (NAGTRI) International Fellows program through the National Association of Attorneys General, in Washington, DC, and New York, NY from May 29-June 7.
CWAG also sponsored the participation of a homicide prosecutor from the Puebla Attorney General's Office to the NAGTRI course "Cold Case Homicide Investigations: Methodology and Protocol" in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 28-29, 2015. |
Administrative Support Seminar
On Friday, June 26th, the CWAG Alliance Partnership broadcast the seminar "Administrative Tools and Support for Attorneys Generals' Office," live to more than 250 viewers throughout Mexico from Tallahassee, Florida. Veteran prosecutors and Administrative Support Specialists from the Florida and California Attorney Generals' Offices shared their experiences with systems and tools available for administrative support in the AGO context. The videorecording of the broadcast is available online. |
| Contacts
For all information and requests, contact:
Susan Lustig
Administrative Director
slustig@cwagweb.org
Cell: 805.264.4277
~ or ~
Lauren Niehaus
Director of Program Coordination
lniehaus@cwagweb.org
Cell: 303.827.9039
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This material was funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
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