June 2015

Interdisciplinary Exchanges Bring Together Law Enforcement from Around Mexico

 

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.

Mexico City, June 2015

 

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.

 

Villahermosa, Tabasco
Cuernavaca, Morelos


 

Arizona-Sonora Attorney General Exchange

 

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.

 

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.

Mock Trial at Veracruz Forum

 

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
Visit the CWAG Alliance Partnership Website

www.CWAGWeb.org/AP
Issue: 2015-2
CWAG AP Logo
In This Issue
Interdisciplinary Exchanges
Arizona-Sonora AGs Meet
Oral Trials Forum
Legal Argument Seminar
Alliance Partnership Programs
CWAG on the Web
Instructor Spotlight: Cecilia Abundis
NAGTRI-CWAG Collaboration
Administrative Support Seminar
Contacts
We're on Facebook!
Links

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.

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

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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Links

 

Council of State Governments

 

Border Legislative Conference

 

Border Governors' Conference

 

Southwest Border Anti-Money Laundering Alliance

 

National Association of Attorneys General

 

US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

 

United States Agency for International Development

 

North American Center for Transborder Studies at ASU

 

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

 

Justice in Mexico Project at USD

 

International Association for Court Administration

 

 

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The CWAG Alliance Partnership promotes the Rule of Law in Mexico, offering a forum for strengthening relationships between U.S. and Mexican State Attorneys General. It supports implementation of an oral adversarial criminal justice system by offering opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between both countries.

 
Karen White, Executive Director

Conference of Western Attorneys General Alliance Partnership
www.cwagweb.org/ap
916-323-1939