Other LanguagesWashington Attorney General Rob McKenna will host 18 prosecutors from struggling Mexico states
SEATTLE – In a continuing, bi-national effort to strengthen the legal systems in both the United States and Mexico, Attorney General Rob McKenna will host eighteen prosecutors from six Mexico states participating in a four-day, cross-jurisdictional law enforcement training to be held in Seattle this weekend.
This is the third such event hosted by McKenna, as part of a national series of trainings designed to aid police officers, prosecutors and judges overwhelmed by crime in many Mexico states. The project was launched following the historic 2008 meeting of attorneys general from Mexico and the United States, and a subsequent “Agreement of Understanding” between the attorneys general of Washington state and Baja California. The agreement calls for cooperation to “ensure justice, safety, and the liberty to encourage economic prosperity” and targets crimes such as human and weapons trafficking, money laundering and child pornography.
“While the men and women we train are risking their lives every day to protect the people of Mexico, we all have a stake in the war on crimes that transcend international borders,” said McKenna. “Washington’s leadership is especially important, because our state’s ever-growing Latino population contributes richly to our society, culture and economy, and Mexico is a cherished and beautiful destination for many Washington travelers, so we all share the same goals of greater security for our families and communities.”
McKenna added that escalating drug-related crimes and the latest U.S. State Department travel warnings of increasing violence in Mexico spotlight the urgency to aid Mexican citizens by helping improve their judicial system and strengthen their country’s crime-fighting efforts.
The trainings are jointly sponsored by the National Conference of the Attorneys General of Mexico, the Alliance Partnership and The Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG). Since 2008, the Alliance Partnership has trained over 11,000 prosecutors, investigators, forensic scientists and Judges. To date, 52 investigators from Mexico have been trained in Washington state. This year’s participants visiting Seattle represent Mexico’s states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Baja California, Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potos.
Attorney General McKenna will speak to the prosecutors at the W Hotel at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 30. Scheduled events throughout the weekend include presentations on victim’s rights, analysis of facts, prosecutorial ethics and the use of exhibits, concluding with a mock trial on Monday evening.
For more information on the program, and its success to date, visit: http://www.cwagweb.org/ap/
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Contact:
Janelle Guthrie, Director of Communications, (360) 586-0725