International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs) bring together international law enforcement agencies to reduce crime, combat terrorism, and share in knowledge and training. The academies were established by President Clinton, and are administered by the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.
The mission of the ILEAs is to support emerging democracies, help protect U.S. interests through international cooperation and to promote social, political and economic stability by combating criminal activity. To reach these goals, the ILEAS conduct activities designed to realize the following objectives:
- Support regional and local criminal justice institution building and law enforcement
- Facilitate strengthened partnerships among countries in regions served by the ILEAS aimed at addressing problems of narcotics and crime
- Provide exceptional training and technical assistance in formulating strategies and tactics for foreign law enforcement personnel
- Improve coordination, foster cooperation, and, as appropriate, facilitate harmonization of law enforcement activities within regions, in a manner compatible with U.S. interests.
There are currently four ILEA Academies: Europe (Budapest), Africa (Gaborone), Central and South America (San Salvador) and Asia (Bangkok). A Regional Training Center has also been established in Lima, Peru, and an Academic ILEA in Roswell, New Mexico, offers academic aspects of law enforcement at the “Advanced Management “level.
The regional ILEAs offer three different fields of programs. The CORE program, specialized training courses, and regional seminars. The CORE program typically includes 50 participants and is focused on improving the investigative and management skills of selected police officials. The specialized courses, comprised of about 30 participants, are normally one or two weeks long and often run simultaneously with the Core course. These courses provide in-depth instruction on areas of concern or of urgent need. Topics of the Regional Seminars include transnational crimes, counter-terrorism and financial crimes.
The goal of the Law Enforcement Leadership Development (LELD) six-week core course is to strengthen international security, enhance cooperation between foreign law enforcement authorities and U.S. law enforcement agencies engaged in combating organized crime and other criminal investigations.