Assessing the Fit Between U.S. Sponsored Training and the Needs of Ukrainian Police Agencies

• NCJ Number: 201357
• Author(s): Dennis Jay Kenney; Melissa Reuland; Anatoliy Zakaliuk; Howell C. Huneycutt; Timothy Oettmeier; John Welter
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 68 pages
• Grant Number(s): 99-IJ-CX-0026
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This report examines the effectiveness of the United States sponsored law enforcement training programs in the Ukraine.

Abstract

After the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, Congress enacted the Freedom of Support Act (FSA) to assist Newly Independent States (NIS) in making the transition to a free market democracy. The FSA supports the development of the Anti-Crime Training and Technical Assistance Program (ACTTA), which allows United States Federal law enforcement agencies to assist Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in developing new techniques and systems to cope with burgeoning crime rates. This report examines the effectiveness of such U.S. sponsored law enforcement training programs. A brief background is offered in section 1 of the report, and section 2 examines the law enforcement training program. The course selection process, course approval process, and course coordination process are reviewed. Section 3 of the report examines the law enforcement exchange programs, including Project Harmony and the International Association of Chiefs of Police's (IACP’s) international law enforcement exchange program. Program philosophy and the results of the exchange are discussed. Section 4 of the report offers an evaluation of the training and exchange success in the Ukraine. Through an evaluation of course content and a survey of program participants, the authors discovered problems with program goals and objectives and with materials that were originally developed for use in the United States and had not been adequately adapted to meet Ukraine needs and situations. Section 5 of the report offers participants’ recommendations for future international law enforcement training and exchange programs. Recommendations are drawn from the survey instrument, and comparisons between the local and national respondents are made. Section 6 offers conclusions and recommendations from the overall program evaluation. Recommendations include clearly articulated program goals, standardized coordination efforts, design training for sustainability, expanded participation in the development and delivery of the training and exchanges, and rigorous evaluations. The six appendices contain a description of law enforcement and policing in Ukraine, the ACTTA law enforcement and criminal justice programs in Ukraine, ACTTA Rule of Law Activities, summaries of after action reports, the United States embassy description of other U.S. sponsored programs in Ukraine, and the survey instruments used in the evaluation. References