Mark Kroeker, the former head of policing for the United Nations, draws on his experiences on policing missions in Liberia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti and other countries. He talks about the challenges of recruitment and other key functions after years of war have destroyed the institutional fabric of a society. He details the importance of anti-corruption strategies that focus on the positive aspects of integrity rather than the negatives of corruption, and he reflects on the immense challenges posed by vetting in low-information environments. Kroeker also shares thoughts on mechanisms for integrating different factions into a unified police service.
Case Study: Building Civilian Police Capacity: Post-Conflict Liberia, 2003-2011
Full Interview
Mark Kroeker served as the civilian police adviser in the United Nations' Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the top policing post in the U.N. His other U.N. posts included that of police commissioner for the U.N.'s mission in Liberia and deputy commissioner of operations for the U.N. International Police Task Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was also chief of police in Portland, Oregon, and consulted for the U.S. Department of Justice in Haiti. He was also a member of U.S. police development projects in Rwanda and Burundi. He came to international policing after a 32-year career with the police department of Los Angeles, California.