INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: (C) Update to Request for Inl Support of Jcf

Published: Tue 27 May 2008 09:30 PM
VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHKG #0483/01 1482130
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 272130Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6389
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0459
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2284
S E C R E T KINGSTON 000483
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL/LP BROWN BOZZOLO
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2018
TAGS: SNAR PREL JM
SUBJECT: (C) UPDATE TO REQUEST FOR INL SUPPORT OF JCF
ANTI-CORRUPTION DIVISION
REF: A. KINGSTON 351
B. TELCON INL/LP BROWN
C. BOZZOLO
D. NAS KINGSTON
E. KINGSTON 33
F. KINGSTON 124
G. KINGSTON 417
Classified By: Charge James T. Heg for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
1. (C) Summary: Subsequent to reception of Ref. A, INL/LP
requested additional detail on the nature and cost of the
proposed long-term detail of two U.S. officers to the Jamaica
Constabulary Force's Anti Corruption Division. In addition,
based on advice of INL/LP, Post has also recalibrated the
cost of the program to take in all anticipated potential
costs, such as salaries, provision of vehicles, school
enrollment fees for any minor children, and the purchase of
needed household furniture, if furnished accommodations can
not be found. As a consequence, the total cost of the program
has increased from the initial request of U.S. 900,000 to
U.S. 1,900,000. End Summary.
2. (S) The NAS Director has been working in close concert
with the Law Enforcement Core Group in the Embassy to
identify U.S. officers with the requisite expertise in
anti-corruption and money laundering investigations to
compliment the UK and Canadian officers who will form
Operation Arena's covert team. Ref. A Based on these
deliberations, ICE agents appear to have the most appropriate
skill sets. In addition, if Arena discovers a U.S. nexus in
any of its cases, it would be ICE that would take the lead on
any U.S. based investigation. For these reasons, over the
last few months the NAS Director and ICE attace have worked
on the preliminary identification of one agent and one
analyst who would likely fill the three-year TDY. The ICE
attache has obtained a preliminary commitment from his agency
to release these agents to Post for Operation Arena.
However, because the agent and analyst will be secunded to
the Jamaica Constabulary Force soely for Operation Arena, and
will not perform ICE work in Jamaica, ICE has understandably
requested NAS funding support for the TDY. In addition to
assisting the GOJ stamp out corruption at the highest levels
within the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the added win-win for
USG law enforcement writ large is that through our support of
Arena we will have direct access to all information gleaned
by the covert team, which would bolster evidence collection
for U.S.-based investigations begun as a result of Arena's
activities.
3. (S) As explained in Ref. A, the foreign officers (UK,
U.S., CAN) will form a covert unit within the larger Jamaica
Constabulary Force's Anti-Corruption Division. Operation of
the covert unit will begin in July 2008. The covert unit
will focus its investigations on corruption by the Senior
Officer Corps of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The covert
unit's will work behind a firewall whereby information and
taskings are passed to the Anti-Corruption Division's other
units only by the Division Chief, a British Police Officer.
On-the-ground collection of information for the covert unit's
investigations will be performed by undercover units of the
Division working in concert with the Jamaica Defence Force's
Military Intelligence Unit. The foreign law enforcement
officers in the covert unit will not perform undercover work
in Jamaica, nor will they be directly involved in any
operations. Once arrests are made, however, they will be
able to direct interrigations. For safety reasons, it has
been decided to house the covert unit's offices on the
Jamaica Defence Force's Headquarters located at its Up Park
Camp Base. In March 2008, the UK transferred the equivalent
of U.S. $1,000,000.00 to the Anti-Corruption Division to
cover the unit's start up costs including construction of the
unit's office space, purchase of IT and other equipment.
(Note: while the Airport Interdiction Task Force is being
reorganized, the Commissioner of Police has determined, based
on a recommendation from NAS, that the Task Force's building
will be used temporarily to house the covert unit, and then
will be used by the Division's undercover units. The Task
Force will take back the building once it is a viable entity)
Ref B
4. (C) Based on advice received from INL/LP after the draft
proposal in Ref. A was reviewed, Post has revised the program
budget as follows. Costs are based on a GS-13 scale to
include LEAP and standard ICE overseas allowance.
Annual Cost for one officer
Salaries and Benefits 125,241
Travel incl. PCS 47,550
Medical Clearance 3,600
Education Allowance (1 child) 12,850
Rent 42,000
Electricity 16,000
Water 1,000
ICASS 71,000
Law Enforcement Equipment 3,000
Vehicle operation 10,000
Operational travel 6,000
Misc 209
Sub - Total 338,450
First Year Start up costs
Household Furniture 50,000
Vehicle 22,000
School (first year fee) 14,500
Sub - Total 86,550
5. (C) For two officers therefore the total program costs are:
Yr 1 - 850,000
Yr 2 - 676,900
Yr 3 - 676,900
6. (SBU) As explained in Ref A., over the last two budget
cycles NAS - Kingston's program budget has gone from
$1,400,000 in 2004 to a mere $500,000 in both 2006 and 2007.
As a recent INL Management Assessment Visit highlighted the
fact that ICASS costs for NAS Kingston have increased 450%
from FY2001 to FY2008. In FY2001, ICASS represented 17% of
NAS Kingston's budget. In FY2008 due to increases
attributable to Post's move to a New Embassy Compound, it now
represents 44%. During that same time frame, non-ICASS costs
have also increased about 50%. NAS Kingston anticipates that
the FY2008 allotted amount of $350,000 for PD will not meet
current expenses (discussed in septel), and we will
therefore have to pull $50,000 from our already meager
program budget total for 2008. Therefore, the available
FY2008 funding for programs will likely have to decrease from
an anticipated $642,000 to $600,000 to cover NAS Kingston's
current PD expenses. In FY2009, ICASS and non-ICASS
administrative costs, including the PCS of a new NAS
Director, are also projected to exceed the current budgeted
amount of $350,000, and additional funding will also have to
come from FY2009 program funds to meet the anticipated
shortfall (discussed in septel).
7. (SBU) If $600,000 is used as a base for NAS Kingston's
FY2008 program total, only $350,000 of that amount will be
available for law enforcement programs leaving $250,000 for
interdiction. Note that pipeline funds are nearly depleted
due to a February 2008 request from the Prime Minister to
Ambassador Johnson to meet Jamaica's urgent security needs.
(Ref. C, D). Fulfillment of this commitment to the GOJ, used
up nearly all of NAS-Kingston's available FY2005, 06 and 07
pipeline funding.
8. (C) In addition to Operation Arena, NAS-Kingston
anticipates that the GOJ will request U.S. funding assistance
for the joint-regional counter drug exercise scheduled for
August, Operation Riptide, which we anticipate will use up
much of the remaining pipeline funding for interdiction. On
the Law Enforcement side, NAS Kingston is already in
discussion with the Minister of National Security and the
Commissioner of Police about their funding priorities for the
GOJ's broader reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, which
will be launched likely in July with the public release of
the nine-month Ministry of National Security driven Police
Strategic Review.
9. (C) Without INL support for additional funding, NAS
Kingston will not be able to meet its desired commitment to
Arena's critical work to stamp out corruption, nor will the
USG be able to play any meaningful role in the broader
wholesale reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force that is
currently planned for calendar years 2008-2010. If INL
agrees to fund the remainder, Post would commit the following
amounts to Arena.
Yr 1 - 100,000 (which represents nearly 1/3 of all FY2008 law
enforcement funds)
Yr 2 - 30,000
Yr 3 - 130,000
JOHNSON
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