Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic (AMUPREV) Quarterly Report – July to September 2018

ICMA has worked with key institutions in the region to promote this objective and engage in outreach. A Toolkit for municipalities has been developed to promote the creation of municipal-led mechanisms to provide leadership in bringing together key stakeholders to design and implement crime and violence prevention programs. ICMA has facilitated the participation of experts in national, regional, and international conferences and conducted workshops for municipal associations and municipal stakeholders. A website (www.amuprev.org) has been established to showcase daily examples of municipalities throughout Latin America that are taking the initiative to develop programs that are building the foundation for crime prevention in their communities. Additionally, videos have been documented and shared through the website and at events and workshops throughout the region, highlighting the experiences of 10 municipalities in Central America that have demonstrated a commitment to crime prevention. To accomplish the second objective, ICMA has implemented the Toolkit in 19 municipalities to create and/or strengthen municipal violence prevention committees/commissions (MVPCs). Municipal partnerships have been established with cities in the US to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance with municipalities in Central America. Police officers, municipal staff, community, and private sector representatives from US cities have provided information, training, and technical assistance to their counterparts to bring about a greater awareness of the need to prioritize and act upon violence and crime prevention programs in a coordinated and comprehensive fashion. Strategic Objective 1: Promote comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key Central American stakeholders and foster development of regional peer knowledge networks. Intermediate Result 1.1: Orientation and information provided to local government, law enforcement, and civil society representatives on municipal-based violence prevention. This has been achieved through workshops, conferences, and the development of a Toolkit for municipalities. Intermediate Result 1.2: Regional peer network(s) established and municipal coordination mechanisms strengthened. ICMA has facilitated the participation of experts in national, regional, and international conferences and conducted workshops for municipal associations and municipal stakeholders. Strategic Objective 2: Support comprehensive municipal-based violence and crime prevention programs in select municipalities. Intermediate Result 2: Training and technical assistance provided to pilot local governments and community groups, in coordination with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs. ICMA has implemented the Toolkit in 19 municipalities to create and/or strengthen municipal violence prevention committees/commissions (MVPCs) and engaged in municipal partnerships with cities in the US to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance. Implementation challenges have been encountered, including equipment costs and barriers to adoption of certain practices. Remedial actions have been taken to address these challenges. Proposed activities for the next quarter include continuing to provide training and technical assistance to local governments and community groups, in coordination with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs. Expected results include the strengthening of municipal violence prevention committees/commissions (MVPCs) and the expansion of regional peer knowledge networks. The program has made significant progress in promoting comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key Central American stakeholders and fostering development of regional peer knowledge networks. The Toolkit has been implemented in 19 municipalities, and municipal partnerships have been established with cities in the US to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance. The program has also documented and shared the experiences of 10 municipalities in Central America that have demonstrated a commitment to crime prevention.