US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO4891

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SANTO DOMINGO 004891 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA, INL; NSC FOR LATIN AMERICA 
ADVISOR; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD; FBI FOR DIRECTOR AND 
TIM MURPHY; DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR OIA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2015 
TAGS: KJUS, KPAO, PINR, PREL, SNAR, DR, CU 
SUBJECT: FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER DICUSSES 
ENFORCEMENT/INTELLIGENCE ISSUES WITH DOMINICAN ATTORNEY 
GENERAL, NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF, AND INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR 
 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Michael Garuckis for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
 1. (U) SUMMARY.  On October 17, 2005, FBI Director Mueller 
made a series of courtesy calls on senior Dominican justice 
and intelligence officials, several of whom participated in a 
same-day working lunch hosted by President Fernandez 
(SEPTEL).  Attorney General Dominguez Brito, Chief of the 
National Police Santana Paez, and National Intelligence 
Director Castro Cruz used these individual meetings to lay 
out organizational agendas, discuss intra-governmental 
rivalries, and request US assistance in both police-training 
and counter-terrorism techniques.  END SUMMARY 
 
-------------------------------- 
Attorney General Dominguez Brito 
-------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) In a morning meeting also attended by US Ambassador 
Hertell, Legat, and Poloff, Director Mueller lauded Dominican 
Attorney General Dominguez Brito for both the improved 
relationship with US law enforcement (compared to relations 
under the previous Dominican administration) and the AG's 
anti-corruption emphasis despite difficulties in dealing with 
powerful personages ("you are particularly deserving of 
credit").  The Director commented that the entire Dominican 
judicial system is more efficient and effective than in the 
past. 
 
Mueller said that a "level playing field" is necessary to 
encourage foreign investment, foreshadowing his subsequent 
remarks to the press on bringing "white-collar" criminals to 
account.  The Director noted that only through working 
together will both the United States and the Dominican 
Republic be successful in countering organized crime and 
trafficking in persons. 
 
Dominguez Brito, in turn, thanked Mueller for the US 
Government's efforts in regard to combating drug trafficking, 
corruption, and banking fraud.  Describing Dominican justice 
sector improvements as "an interesting process occurring 
little by little," Dominguez Brito credited USAID legislative 
and technical assistance with an important contribution to 
professionalization of the sector, as well as fostering a 
"sprit of reform" currently felt throughout the government. 
 
Dominguez Brito took this opportunity to detail the top 
priorities of his office: 
 
-- 1) implementation of a public prosecutor career statute to 
establish an institutional process; 
-- 2) training and equipping of a forensic institute; 
-- 3) insuring the implementation of the new criminal 
procedures code; 
-- 4) implementation of a new penal model outside of National 
Police control and based on treatment/rehabilitation; 
-- 5) an increase in victim assistance programs; and 
-- 6) improvement in the justice system's handling of minors, 
both as accused criminals and as incarcerated individuals. 
 
During a brief discussion of crime statistics, Dominguez 
Brito noted: 
 
-- 1) 1,700 violent deaths occur annually, 1,300 of which are 
homicides; 
-- 2) while national homicide rates average 22/100,000, some 
neighborhoods in Santo Domingo average 40/100,000; 
-- 3) homicides are largely committed by handgun, with 
personal conflict and ingestion of alcohol being primary 
contributing factors; and 
-- 4) 5 to 6 percent of murdered women were killed by their 
spouses 
Dominguez Brito concluded that his government's "democratic 
security" plan was proving useful in combating violent crime. 
 
------------------------- 
Police Chief Santana Paez 
------------------------- 
 
3) (C) Mueller's first meeting following the presidential 
lunch was with Police Chief Santana Paez, who had not been 
present at the lunch.  Santana Paez was accompanied by 
Dominican Ambassador Roberto Valentin, currently serving as a 
police advisor.  As at his first meeting, Mueller was 
accompanied by Ambassador Hertell, Legat, and Poloff. 
 
Santana Paez began by emphasizing his role as a career police 
officer (28-year veteran of force), a modern police chief 
(e.g., embracing forensic technology), and a friend of the 
United States.  He  addressed three significant issues facing 
the National Police: 
 
-- 1) Implementation/acceptance of the new criminal 
procedures code by senior police officials is not yet 
guaranteed.  Santana Paez attributed resistance to change to 
the long legacy of dictatorship. The National Police had 
traditionally been charged with maintaining public order, not 
public safety -- protecting the government, not the 
citizenry.   Santana Paez considers that some of the older 
generals (especially those without foreign experience) have 
not yet made the shift in thinking. 
 
Related problems include the  deficient academic backgrounds 
of current officers and poor base pay ($100-$150/month) that 
1) make difficult the recruitment of new officers, and 2) 
fail to provide sufficient incentives to retain officers who 
now have to learn a new system.  Director Mueller commented 
that a key factor impeding implementation is the fact that 
Santana Paez is not able to appoint more than a handful of 
senior police officials. 
 
-- 2) Relations between Santana Paez and Interior & Police 
Minister Almeyda remain troubled, though "somewhat calmer" 
following a meeting between President Fernandez and Almeyda. 
Santana Paez cited two principal points of contention: 1) 
chain of command issues (i.e., Almeyda's past attempts to 
insert himself "unconstitutionally" into the police chain of 
command); and 2) Almeyda's desire that Santana Paez use Cuban 
police advisors in the Dominican Republic - a demand that 
Santana Paez categorically rejects as inappropriate ("Cubans 
can't teach us anything").  Santana Paez mentioned that he 
looks forward to February 2006, as there is talk of 
transferring Almeyda out of his current portfolio around that 
time. 
 
-- 3) Inappropriate use of lethal force remains a problem, 
including extrajudicial killings.  Santana Paez said the 
National Police and the AG's Office are working to combat 
extrajudicial killings through investigation, prosecution, 
and training, 
 
Requests/Offers of Assistance 
----------------------------- 
 
Director Mueller succinctly noted that it is "very difficult 
when people are given weapons" and that extensive training on 
the proper use of force is critical.  He offered assistance, 
"to the extent that we can assist with how we train." 
 
Santana Paez asked for an increased number of Dominican 
National Police-FBI Academy exchanges or, at a minimum, FBI 
instructors to train (short-course) Dominican police in the 
Dominican Republic - with particular attention paid to 
processing crime scenes and gathering and preserving evidence. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Intelligence Director Castro Cruz 
--------------------------------- 
 
4) (C)  Mueller, accompanied by the same embassy officials 
plus Embassy SAA Chief, called on National Office of 
Investigations (DNI) Director Castro Cruz. 
Castro Cruz spoke of what he viewed as a key post-9/11 lesson 
for the United States - national security involves 
integration of intelligence systems.  He stated his goal was 
remaking the DNI into a truly centralized intelligence 
agency, which would necessitate a quantitative leap forward. 
Castro Cruz also complained of the currently poor 
intelligence sharing practices of the DNI (which primarily 
targets illegal immigration), the National Drug Control 
Directorate (targeting illegal narcotics flows), and the 
National Police (targeting common crime).  He said that his 
organization suffers from poor infrastructure, including a 
poorly sited headquarters within the Presidential Palace 
complex, a limited signals intelligence capability, and the 
complete absence of a human intelligence capacity abroad. 
Castro Cruz suggested that should centralization of the 
intelligence mission be accomplished, the DNI could work 
jointly with the United States and other friendly nations in 
a proactive manner.  In the meantime he asks for FBI 
cooperation in counter-terrorism training for DNI personnel. 
 
Director Mueller described generally USG successes in 
overcoming the separation between the FBI and outward-looking 
US intelligence agencies (i.e., CIA, DIA, NSA).  He noted 
that compared to the overall population of the United States, 
the FBI is a very small service.  Accordingly, the FBI relies 
on state and local law enforcement agencies to gather 
intelligence, which is then integrated with that coming from 
overseas.  Castro Cruz replied that this was a "very good and 
interesting approach that may be of use to us." 
 
Castro Cruz said that the DNI, too, is quite small - 2,500 
officers currently serve, approximately 20 percent of whom 
are military personnel. 
KUBISKE