QUANTICO, Va. -- Not even Mother Nature’s fury could deter the Office of Special Investigations from communicating with its Brazilian counterparts.
Due to Hurricane Ida’s impact on New Orleans, La., previously scheduled events in September 2021, were cancelled, including the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, while others were postponed.
However, Col. Tara Lunardi, OSI Field Investigations Region 2 Commander, facilitated the virtual re-scheduling with Brazilian Law Enforcement partners, to help pave the way for future in-person visits and broker ways OSI could work closer together, share information, and invest in mutually beneficial training exchanges.
To that end, on Oct. 6, Col. Lunardi, OSI Region 2 Operating Location-B Director, Special Agent Lynn Stedge, OSI Field Protection Detachment Brazil Representative, SA David Sorensen and local OSI FPD Investigators Jean Paraski and Matheus Lins, conducted separate, virtual meetings with Delegado Adriano Garcia Geraldo, Director General of the Mato Grosso do Sul State Civil Police and Delegado Rodolfo Laterza, President of the Brazilian Association of Police Delegados (ADEPOL).
A Brazilian article covering the virtual meetings, and translated into English, reported Civil Police from Mato Grosso do Sul is seeking a partnership with the United States to combat border crimes.
In the article, the Director General spoke about the importance that Mato Grosso do Sul has nationally and internationally in combating the traffic of weapons and drugs that enter the country across its borders with other countries, until reaching major cities in Brazil and abroad.
Geraldo explained that although the Federal Police are responsible for combating this type of crimes in country, a great portion of the drugs and weapons is seized by the state polices: both Civil and Military.
Geraldo requested the support of the U.S. Government to provide training for local police officers, with the U.S. anti-narcotics police.
"This door that has been opened gives us the opportunity to show the U.S. government that we exist,” he said. “We are important in combatting drug trafficking, as well as preventing narcotics from leaving the country and reaching other main cities across the world, like the ones in the United States, for example."
Col. Lunardi emphasized her commitment to consolidate this partnership.
“We hope to contribute with resources that can enable training for the police officers in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul,” she said. “We can establish this partnership.”