ISU, El Salvador cooperation aimed at fighting crime
Latin American official says U.S. Hispanic communities could benefit from research
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Amid evidence of Salvadoran gang activity in Indianapolis, cooperation between Indiana State University and police in El Salvador may help fight crime both in Latin America and in burgeoning Hispanic communities in the United States.
Carlos Ponce, an official with the National Civil Police of El Salvador, wrapped up a 10-day visit to Indiana State and central Indiana Wednesday. The visit builds on an existing partnership in which the ISU criminology department is helping El Salvador modernize its approach to law enforcement.
In the long run, communities in both countries will be safer as a result of the partnership, said Ponce, director of El Salvador's Center for Criminology and Police Science (CECRIPOL), the research office of the National Civil Police. El Salvador was the first Central American nation to establish an office devoted to criminal research.
"ISU and CECRIPOL are pioneers in criminological research in Latin America," said Ponce. "The United States has a lot of communities which are composed only of Hispanic immigrants and police work in those areas has to take into account the cultural factors. By studying crime and police work in a Latin American setting such as El Salvador the findings of our research can help U.S. police departments to develop crime control strategies in those communities."
Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. Hispanic population grew by 60 percent to 35.3 million, according to the Census Bureau. During the same period, the number of Hispanic residents in Indiana more than doubled to nearly 213,000.¡
The fight against kidnapping for ransom has been a major success in El Salvador, which has reported only four such offenses this year compared with 114 in 2000, Ponce said. But youth gangs remain a major concern, accounting for an estimated 60 to 70 percent of all crimes committed in the nation of 6.3 million.
"Youth gangs have adopted American style gang culture and we are already dealing with the problem. It's a national interest issue," Ponce said. "The president of El Salvador is very involved in developing suppression strategies, prevention strategies and intervention strategies to tackle the problem."
Control of youth gangs and community policing are areas where ISU criminology experts may be able to help. In addition, Ponce has volunteered to participate in the analysis of a new tool for analyzing criminal networks.
Using readily available public information, the tool is aimed at tracking drug rings, gangs, terrorists and other criminals by their connections to people and places, said David Skelton, professor of criminology and director of ISU's Institute of Criminology.
Ponce also met with ISU students and made presentations to several classes. He consulted with ISU researchers on the design of future projects. Because the Indianapolis Police Department had discovered evidence of Salvadoran gang activity, Ponce also conducted a lengthy briefing for IPD officers and managers at the Indianapolis Police Academy.
"This is a very exciting time for us because we have the opportunity to apply the results of academic research toward the solution of real-world law enforcement problems," Skelton said. "We are very grateful for the support of the National Civil Police and its officers, and especially the direction and encouragement we have received from Director General Ricardo Menesses. The PNC, in less than 12 years, has become a world leader in innovative and effective democratic policing."
Skelton and DeVere Woods, assistant professor of criminology, serve as consultants to CECRIPOL. Ponce holds a master's degree in criminology from ISU.
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Contact: David Skelton, professor of criminology, director, ISU Institute of Criminology,
(812) 237-2196 or crskel@isugw.indstate.edu
Writer: Dave Taylor, assistant director, Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, (812) 237-3743 or devtaylo@isugw.indstate.edu
ISU Communications and Marketing: (812) 237-3773 or http://www.indstate.edu/news
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