DA Jackie Lacey

[D.A.] – District Attorney Jackie Lacey today formally entered into a new partnership with the U.S. State Department to provide training to foreign prosecutors and law enforcement personnel.

“We are thrilled about this partnership and the opportunity to train justice system professionals working beyond our national borders,” District Attorney Lacey said. “This agreement provides another avenue for members of my office to share their wealth of knowledge and experience with others.”

District Attorney Lacey and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield discussed the scope and impact of the agreement during a ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.

Under the terms of the agreement – as part of U.S. State Department anti-crime efforts overseas – Los Angeles County prosecutors and investigators will draw on their unique expertise and abilities to provide training to foreign governments.

“We welcome the opportunity to team up with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the largest district attorney’s office in the country,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brownfield said. “The office’s deep reservoir of knowledge and experience in fighting a wide range of crime will help advance international and U.S. security by building prosecutorial capacity overseas. ”

District Attorney Lacey said her office has a distinguished history of training prosecutors and law enforcement officials.

In just the past two years, the District Attorney’s Office has trained more than 4,000 justice system partners. The office’s areas of expertise include the prosecution of public integrity, hardcore gang and high technology crimes.

By expanding the reach of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s training programs beyond national borders, the office aims to advance law enforcement initiatives in other parts of the world while also developing a better understanding of transnational threats to public safety.

“Our prosecutors – and the residents of Los Angeles County – also will benefit through these multinational relationships,” District Attorney Lacey said. “Many of our most notorious gangs and computer hackers remain connected to foreign homelands.”

“By sharing information, my prosecutors will gain the advantage of seeing these criminal enterprises from a new perspective. We will gain valuable information on how to make our streets safer.”