Officials with responsibility for public safety and crime prevention initiatives in two Salvadoran municipalities, Nahuizalco and Sonsonate, learned what it takes to develop a comprehensive, community-based approach to violence prevention during a visit to Santa Ana, California, in January. 

The visit was made possible by the Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention (AMUPREV) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by ICMA. The objective of the program is to help municipalities in Central America adapt community-oriented governance and policing approaches that have proven successful in the United States and other countries. ICMA is employing its CityLinks model to create partnerships for the exchange of knowledge and technical expertise. 

The Santa Ana Police Department has embraced a community-oriented approach to policing since the 1970s, forming partnerships with the community to address the causes of crime and reduce the fear of crime. During the five-day visit, the Salvadoran participants learned how the department works with community partners such as the victim assistance program, schools, parents, local businesses, neighborhood associations, programs for children and youth, Explorer Scouts, and the faith-based community. 

Participants also learned how the department uses technology tools for crime analysis. They heard about its approaches to addressing the problem of gangs. They toured the police department; the KidWorks Center, which provides activities, education, and leadership development for children and youth in at-risk neighborhoods; an elementary school; the police athletic league facility; the Boys and Girls Club; and the local jail. They had an opportunity to hear from Mayor Miguel Pulido, who emphasized Santa Ana’s commitment to community policing. And they attended a city council meeting, where they were introduced to the council and to city manager David Ream. 

Nahuizalco is about 70 percent rural, and 23 police officers serve its population of 49,000. It is one of the country’s pioneers in implementing community policing to address its crime problems. The city ranks as number 21 among the most violent municipalities in the country, with 44 homicides, 27 robberies, and numerous assaults and other incidents recorded in 2009. 

Participants from Nahuizalco were the mayor, a school director, a community leader who is also a member of the municipal governing body, and a “sub-inspector” of the Salvadoran national police who also serves as the city’s police chief. All are members of a local crime prevention council composed of representatives from community groups, the municipal government, and police. 

Sonsonate is much larger and 100 percent urban, with a population of 355,000 served by 257 police officers. Like Nahuizalco, it ranks high (number 25) among the country’s most violent municipalities. Participants in the Santa Ana visit were two members of the governing body; in addition to serving currently on the council, one is the former mayor and the other is director of social development programs for the municipality. Sonsonate also has a local violence prevention committee. 

The visitors were accompanied by Marisa Fortín, ICMA’s national crime and violence coordinator in El Salvador; Carlos Loría-Chaves, ICMA’s regional program manager for AMUPREV; and Isabelle Bully-Omictin, AMUPREV program director. 

During the visit the parties signed a memorandum of understanding under which Santa Ana will provide training and technical assistance and share their management and technical expertise with the two Salvadoran cities, focusing on 

• Principles and practices of community-oriented policing
• Operation and strengthening of municipal crime/violence committees
• Tracking crime statistics and conducting analyses
• Reclaiming public spaces that have become degraded by criminal activity
• Youth rehabilitation and gang prevention programs.

Together, the parties will develop an action plan to be implemented through a series of visits from the Santa Ana team to El Salvador during the term of the project, which ends in November 2012. The MOU also commits the parties to continue exchanging information and sharing expertise after the project’s end.

As participants reflected on the visit, one theme of their comments was that even though it is clear that Santa Ana is a model city when it comes to police-community relations and the implementation of community policing, it has taken many years for them to achieve their successes. The participants from Nahuizalco and Sonsonate were determined to bring back to their communities the message that it will take hard work, organization, political will, and time for their municipalities to implement similar programs and achieve their goals, but they were grateful to see a model of what their future could look like.

The AMUPREV program has also partnered two municipalities in Panama, Colón and San Miguelito, with the county and the sheriff’s department in Pinellas County, Florida.

For more information, visit the ICMA International web page and the International Development topic area in the Knowledge Network, or e-mail international@icma.org. Additional information en Español is available on the AMUPREV website and the program's Facebook page.