VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #0477/01 1481818
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 271818Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6379
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0456
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2281

S E C R E T KINGSTON 000477 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP BROWN BOZZOLO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2018 
TAGS: SNAR PREL JM
SUBJECT: (C) UPDATE TO REQUEST FOR INL SUPPORT OF JCF 
ANTI-CORRUPTION DIVISION 
 
REF: A. KINGSTON 351 
     ¶B. TELCON INL/LP BROWN 
     ¶C. BOZZOLO 
     ¶D. NAS KINGSTON 
     ¶E. KINGSTON 33 
     ¶F. KINGSTON 124 
     ¶G. KINGSTON 417 
 
Classified By: Charge James T. Heg for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Subsequent to reception of Ref. A, INL/LP 
requested additional detail on the nature and cost of the 
proposed long-term detail of two U.S. officers to the Jamaica 
Constabulary Force's Anti Corruption Division.  In addition, 
based on advice of INL/LP, Post has also recalibrated the 
cost of the program to take in all anticipated potential 
costs, such as salaries, provision of vehicles, school 
enrollment fees for any minor children, and the purchase of 
needed household furniture, if furnished accommodations can 
not be found. As a consequence, the total cost of the program 
has increased from the initial request of U.S. 900,000 to 
U.S. 1,900,000. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (S)  The NAS Director has been working in close concert 
with the Law Enforcement Core Group in the Embassy to 
identify U.S. officers with the requisite expertise in 
anti-corruption and money laundering investigations to 
compliment the UK and Canadian officers who will form 
Operation Arena's covert team. Ref. A  Based on these 
deliberations, ICE agents appear to have the most appropriate 
skill sets.  In addition, if Arena discovers a U.S. nexus in 
any of its cases, it would be ICE that would take the lead on 
any U.S. based investigation.  For these reasons, over the 
last few months the NAS Director and ICE attace have worked 
on the preliminary identification of one agent and one 
analyst who would likely fill the three-year TDY.  The ICE 
attache has obtained a preliminary commitment from his agency 
to release these agents to Post for Operation Arena. 
However, because the agent and analyst will be secunded to 
the Jamaica Constabulary Force soely for Operation Arena, and 
will not perform ICE work in Jamaica, ICE has understandably 
requested NAS funding support for the TDY.  In addition to 
assisting the GOJ stamp out corruption at the highest levels 
within the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the added win-win for 
USG law enforcement writ large is that through our support of 
Arena we will have direct access to all information gleaned 
by the covert team, which would bolster evidence collection 
for U.S.-based investigations begun as a result of Arena's 
activities. 
 
¶3. (S) As explained in Ref. A, the foreign officers (UK, 
U.S., CAN) will form a covert unit within the larger Jamaica 
Constabulary Force's Anti-Corruption Division.  Operation of 
the covert unit will begin in July 2008.  The covert unit 
will focus its investigations on corruption by the Senior 
Officer Corps of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The covert 
unit's will work behind a firewall whereby information and 
taskings are passed to the Anti-Corruption Division's other 
units only by the Division Chief, a British Police Officer. 
On-the-ground collection of information for the covert unit's 
investigations will be performed by undercover units of the 
Division working in concert with the Jamaica Defence Force's 
Military Intelligence Unit.  The foreign law enforcement 
officers in the covert unit will not perform undercover work 
in Jamaica, nor will they be directly involved in any 
operations.  Once arrests are made, however, they will be 
able to direct interrigations.  For safety reasons, it has 
been decided to house the covert unit's offices on the 
Jamaica Defence Force's Headquarters located at its Up Park 
Camp Base.  In March 2008, the UK transferred the equivalent 
of U.S. $1,000,000.00 to the Anti-Corruption Division to 
cover the unit's start up costs including construction of the 
unit's office space, purchase of IT and other equipment. 
(Note: while the Airport Interdiction Task Force is being 
reorganized, the Commissioner of Police has determined, based 
on a recommendation from NAS, that the Task Force's building 
will be used temporarily to house the covert unit, and then 
will be used by the Division's undercover units.  The Task 
Force will take back the building once it is a viable entity) 
Ref B 
 
¶4. (C) Based on advice received from INL/LP after the draft 
proposal in Ref. A was reviewed, Post has revised the program 
budget as follows.  Costs are based on a GS-13 scale to 
include LEAP and standard ICE overseas allowance. 
 
Annual Cost for one officer 
 
Salaries and Benefits         125,241 
 
Travel incl. PCS         47,550 
Medical Clearance               3,600 
 
Education Allowance (1 child)  12,850 
Rent         42,000 
Electricity        16,000 
Water               1,000 
ICASS        71,000 
Law Enforcement Equipment       3,000 
Vehicle operation           10,000 
Operational travel              6,000 
Misc            209 
 
Sub - Total             338,450 
 
First Year Start up costs 
 
Household Furniture            50,000 
Vehicle                        22,000 
School (first year fee)        14,500 
 
Sub - Total        86,550 
 
 
¶4. (C) For two officers therefore the total program costs are: 
 
Yr 1 - 850,000 
Yr 2 - 676,900 
Yr 3 - 676,900 
 
¶5. (SBU) As explained in Ref A., over the last two budget 
cycles NAS - Kingston's program budget has gone from 
$1,400,000 in 2004 to a mere $500,000 in both 2006 and 2007. 
As a recent INL Management Assessment Visit highlighted the 
fact that ICASS costs for NAS Kingston have increased 450% 
from FY2001 to FY2008.  In FY2001, ICASS represented 17% of 
NAS Kingston's budget.  In FY2008 due to increases 
attributable to Post's move to a New Embassy Compound, it now 
represents 44%.  During that same time frame, non-ICASS costs 
have also increased about 50%.  NAS Kingston anticipates that 
the FY2008 allotted amount of $350,000 for PD&S will not meet 
current expenses  (discussed in septel), and we will 
therefore have to pull $50,000 from our already meager 
program budget total for 2008. Therefore, the available 
FY2008 funding for programs will likely have to decrease from 
an anticipated $642,000 to $600,000 to cover NAS Kingston's 
current PD&S expenses.  In FY2009, ICASS and non-ICASS 
administrative costs, including the PCS of a new NAS 
Director, are also projected to exceed the current budgeted 
amount of $350,000, and additional funding will also have to 
come from FY2009 program funds to meet the anticipated 
shortfall (discussed in septel). 
 
¶6.  (SBU) If $600,000 is used as a base for NAS Kingston's 
FY2008 program total, only $350,000 of that amount will be 
available for law enforcement programs leaving $250,000 for 
interdiction.  Note that pipeline funds are nearly depleted 
due to a February 2008 request from the Prime Minister to 
Ambassador Johnson to meet Jamaica's urgent security needs. 
(Ref. C, D).  Fulfillment of this commitment to the GOJ, used 
up nearly all of NAS-Kingston's available FY2005, 06 and 07 
pipeline funding. 
 
¶7. (C)  In addition to Operation Arena, NAS-Kingston 
anticipates that the GOJ will request U.S. funding assistance 
for the joint-regional counter drug exercise scheduled for 
August, Operation Riptide, which we anticipate will use up 
much of the remaining pipeline funding for interdiction.  On 
the Law Enforcement side, NAS Kingston is already in 
discussion with the Minister of National Security and the 
Commissioner of Police about their funding priorities for the 
GOJ's broader reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, which 
will be launched likely in July with the public release of 
the nine-month Ministry of National Security driven Police 
Strategic Review. 
 
¶8. (C) Without INL support for additional funding, NAS 
Kingston will not be able to meet its desired commitment to 
Arena's critical work to stamp out corruption, nor will the 
USG be able to play any meaningful role in the broader 
wholesale reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force that is 
currently planned for calendar years 2008-2010.  If INL 
agrees to fund the remainder, Post would commit the following 
amounts to Arena. 
 
Yr 1 - 100,000 (which represents nearly 1/3 of all FY2008 law 
enforcement funds) 
Yr 2 -  30,000 
Yr 3 - 130,000 
 
JOHNSON