VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMV #0264/01 0582215
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 272213Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0091
INFO RUEHMV/AMEMBASSY MONROVIA

UNCLAS MONROVIA 000264 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR INL-CIV-DL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT ASEC SNAR KPKO LI
SUBJECT: INL MONROVIA MONTHLY REPORTS FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: This report covers December 14 to January 31. 
Report for February will be sent septel.  The Emergency Response 
Unit (ERU) continued the transition from police headquarters to the 
new ERU Command Center.  ERU training continued with the added 
development of more "train the trainer" ownership by the ERU. 
UNPOL Advisors completed their thirty-day out-of-mission and 
returned to their duties in UNMIL.  JSSL Advisor Bratten continued 
her work with the Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Unit and 
the renovations to the Temple of Justice are ongoing with minimal 
delays. END SUMMARY 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING: Civilian Police and Judicial Affairs 
Officer (CPJAO) departed Post for annual leave on December 13. 
January 7 to 10, CPJAO had consultations in Washington, DC with 
INR, AF, S/CRS, INL and participated in an intel briefing hosted by 
S/CRS in preparation for the Interagency Conflict Assessment 
Framework (ICAF) for Liberia scheduled for March.   CPJAO returned 
to Post on January 14.  CPJAO represented the ambassador at the 
Liberia National Police graduation ceremony in January. 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT (ERU): In December, training for ERU 
continued, with the fifth and final class of ERU candidates (46 
males and 1 female), ERU driver's training and an in-service 
communications refresher course.  ERU instructors also began 
developing their own ERU Driving Instructor course to "train the 
trainers." 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) In December, three teams of ERU were deployed throughout 
Liberia - one team (10 ERU members) to the Firestone Plantation in 
response to criminal activity and threats against company 
employees; one team (18 ERU members) along with two (2) UN Police 
(UNPOL) Advisors to Sinoe County Rubber Plantation to quell 
potential unrest due to a change in management and one team (10 ERU 
members) to Sanniquellie for a Presidential visit. By the end of 
January all three teams had successfully completed operations and 
returned to Monrovia. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) ERU Advisors and ERU Commanders planned and implemented an 
operation to curb a crime spree by a local gang.  Sixty-five (65) 
subjects were arrested in the operation.  Eighteen (18) suspects 
were later formally charged and taken to Paynesville Magisterial 
Court for prosecution.   The others were released after meeting 
with community leaders and LNP to identify the specific 
perpetrators within the community. 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) The new ERU HQ was formally handed over to ERU supervision 
in December. Finishing touches to the compound (pavers laid, 
generator housing and ammo depot constructed, concrete poured for 
parking area) were completed on December 31.  The radio towers at 
the new HQ and the National Police Training Academy were made 
functional and communication has been established with units in the 
field.  LNP Director/Inspector General of Police Marc Amblard 
toured the new ERU Headquarters and was reported to be pleased and 
satisfied.   ERU-LNP Commanders, UNPOL ERU Advisors and Trainers 
moved furniture from LNP Headquarters into the ERU Headquarters. 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) U.S. ERU Advisors supervised ERU armorers during regular 
maintenance of excess weapons secured at the German Embassy.  ERU 
Project Manager Damon Brown ended mission in December and returned 
to the U.S. for thirty day rest and relaxation and INL retraining. 
Damon returned to mission in mid-January and resumed his duties as 
ERU Project Manager. 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) In January, a Swiss delegation visited the ERU Command 
Center and a Norwegian delegation met ERU Project Manager, Command 
Staff and Lead ERU Trainer at the LNP National Police Training 
Academy (NPTA).  ERU Commander Sebastian Farr (Liberian) narrated 
ERU demonstrations and Lead ERU Trainer Amos Williams (Liberian) 
briefed the delegations with little or no assistance from UNPOL 
advisors. 
 
¶9. (U) The ERU-LNP Amory team continued the process of recording 
ERU weapons with LNP forensics which is creating a central weapons 
database for Liberia.  Weapons are test fired at LNP HQ (in the 
first ever test firing tube constructed in Liberia) and both the 
bullets and shell casings are placed on file along with the weapon 
identification number.  As of January, 50 ERU weapons (39 M-4 
rifles and 11 Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols) had been test fired and 
documented.  All ERU weapons will undergo this exercise.  The plan 
is for weapons currently utilized by all Liberia's security forces 
(LNP-ERU, LNP-Police Support Unit/PSU, Special Security 
Service/SSS) to be catalogued in this manner. 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) SENIOR ADVISOR TEAM (SAT): In December, SAT members were 
invited to sit on a subcommittee with members from the Ministry of 
Justice and LNP designed to address pre-trial detention issues. 
Central Prison in Monrovia is currently 300% over capacity. The 
majority are pre-trial detainees. 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) SAT assisted the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) training 
on new, standardized LNP forms on December 9 and 10. This is a 
project that has been ongoing with Justice Sector Support for 
Liberia (JSSL) Advisor Cecilia Bratten (see JSSL section below). 
Approximately 90 LNP investigators attended the training.  The 
training is the culmination of a three-month effort on the part of 
LNP, UNPOL, JSSL, and NRC.  The emphasis of the training was 
documentation to achieve probable cause prior to arrest utilizing 
the new forms. 
 
¶12. (U) Senior Advisor Mike White ended mission and returned to the 
U.S. for his thirty day rest and relaxation and retraining.  Jack 
Nielsen returned from his thirty days out of mission on January 16 
and resumed his duties as SAT Team Leader. 
 
¶13. (U) Initial meetings were held with the Deputy Inspector 
General for Operations and the newest Senior Advisor (Frank Rowe). 
Deputy Inspector General Tarpeh discussed his desire to review the 
status of the Emergency Plan for the LNP HQ, and the standard 
operating procedures (SOP) for LNP PSU and LNP Communications and 
voiced his support for a way forward. 
 
 
 
¶14. (U) In January, the SAT met with the Traffic Court Judge to 
discuss the handling of traffic tickets. The court is currently 
unaware of who is issued a ticket by the LNP. There should be a 
court disposition on each case. SAT began working with the 
ticketing section, the court liaison officers of the LNP and the 
Traffic Court to devise a system that allows the tickets to flow 
through the court unheeded. 
 
 
 
¶15. (U) SAT facilitated the printing of the standardized forms for 
LNP in January and began devising a distribution plan with the LNP. 
 
 
 
 
¶16. (U) Justice Sector Support for Liberia (JSSL): In December, 
JSSL Prosecution Advisor Cecilia Bratten, along with SAT member 
Mike White, continued their work with the Norwegian Refugee Council 
(NRC) to design improved reporting forms, investigative checklists 
and evidence collection envelopes for police and to develop 
training programs for introducing these items to LNP. 
 
 
 
¶17. (U) On December 9 and 10, JSSL Advisor Cecilia Bratten and 
Senior Police Advisor Mike White delivered training to 72 Liberia 
National Police (LNP) line managers.  Training exercises introduced 
participating officers to a new case incident report form, a case 
file jacket preprinted with an investigative check list and diary 
and pre-printed evidence collection envelopes.  These items were 
developed for LNP by Advisors White and Bratten and Anna Stone of 
NRC with input from the UN Police (UNPOL) Commissioner's Office. 
The lecture content and exercises used during the two day training 
session were designed to review and build upon the content 
delivered in Sessions One and Two of the NRC training program, as 
well as introducing the evidence collection envelope and the new 
form and file jacket.  Advisors White and Bratten will be 
continuing to work with NRC and will be designing and delivering 
training components for the next four monthly sessions. 
 
¶18. (U) JSSL Adviser Bratten began working with members of the 
Ministry of Justice Pretrial Detention Task Force subcommittee on 
process and procedures for the Magistrate Sitting Program, the 
sessions of the Magisterial Courts held at Monrovia Central Prison 
to address the pre-trial detention overcrowding issues.  Advisor 
Bratten began working with Resident Legal Advisor Tracy Johnson to 
discuss how to include plea negotiation in discussions of 
strategies to reduce the number of pretrial detainees. 
 
 
 
¶19. (U) In January, Advisor Bratten continued her work with the 
Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Crimes Unit, including 
facilitating a planned study visit for the Chief SGBV Prosecutor to 
the South Africa Sexual Offenses Court that provided the model for 
Liberia's Sexual Offenses Court (Court E) and meetings in 
Washington, DC. Advisor Bratten is preparing the curriculum for the 
next Quarterly Prosecutors Training to be held in early February 
and curriculum for the next session in the series of training 
programs for Liberian National Police Women and Children Protection 
Services Line Managers sponsored by Norwegian Refugee Council 
(NRC). 
 
 
 
¶20. (U) Advisor Bratten continued her work with the NRC in January 
on a three day workshop to be held from the 25th to the 27th.  The 
multi-disciplinary workshop will introduce a team approach to 
responding to sexual offenses and will bring together judges, 
prosecutors, police, health care providers and social workers from 
every county in Liberia to develop a coordinated response to sexual 
assault and abuse cases. 
 
 
 
¶21. (U) Advisor Bratten began working with Solicitor General 
Wilkins Wright to develop record keeping and reporting mechanisms 
for the County Attorneys that will allow cases to be tracked to 
avoid cases going over time standards, being compromised or 
becoming lost in the system.  The reporting forms will also provide 
data on the number of cases entering the criminal justice system 
and the number of cases being disposed of. 
 
 
 
¶22. (U) Adviser Bratten continued her service on the Board of 
Governors for the James A. A. Pierre Judicial Institute (JI). 
 
 
 
¶23. (U) TEMPLE OF JUSTICE (TOJ) RENOVATION: Renovation of the 
Temple of Justice began in early December.  To facilitate the 
beginning of the renovation, TOJ staff removed all computer 
equipment from the basement of the main building but left multiple 
boxes of court documents behind.  PAE staff secured the documents 
and requested guidance from the Office of the Chief Justice on 
where to deliver them.  As of January 2, 99% of the demolition for 
the entire project had been completed and all the debris had been 
removed from the site. 
 
 
 
¶24. (U) In January, a plumbing leak that had the potential for 
holding up the project was fixed by TOJ workers. Electrical wiring 
and plumbing installation continued. At the end of January, 
plumbers were three days behind schedule but electrical 
installation was ahead of schedule. 
THOMAS-GREENFIELD