Law Enforcement and Security Exchange Program (LESEP)
Combating Gender-Based Violence Study Tour
July 22 - 26, 2024
Participant List
Ms. Ana Celia Arana Almaguer
Head of the Human Rights Directorate, Department of Public Security of the State of Coahuila
Ms. Carolina Buitimea Velázquez
Head of Family and Gender Violence Special Group, Department of Public Security of the State of Sinaloa
Ms. Vanessa Yarely Felix Chaidez
Legal Advisor, Department of Public Security of the State of Sonora
Ms. Gabriela Guadalupe Franyutti Garcia
Office Director, Department of Public Security of the State of Coahuila
Ms. María José González Cruz
Technical and Gender Equality Secretary, Department of Security of the State of Mexico
Ms. Ana Raquel Hernández Puente
Commander of the Liaison Area of the Monterrey North Zone Group, Department of Public Security of the State of Nuevo León
Ms. Lilia Ibarra Aguilera
Agent, Department of Public Security of the State of Baja California
Mr. José Jhonatan Leal Puente
Commander of the Liaison Area of the Monterrey North Zone Group, Department of Public Security of the State of Nuevo León
Ms. Silvia Grisell Licon Casanova
Coordinator, Department of Public Security of the State of Baja California
Ms. María Lucía López Solis
Police Officer, Department of Public Security of the State of Querétaro
Mr. Víctor Alfonso Marin Soto
Instructor, Department of Public Security of the State of Chihuahua
Ms. Suely Mariel Molina Saucedo
Director, Technologies of the Department of Public Security of the State of Durango
Ms. Martha Carolina Moyrón
Operative, Department of Public Security of the State of Baja California Sur
Mr. Hugo Adrián Nevárez Hernández
Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary of Social Prevention and Citizen Participation, State of Durango
Ms. Laura Carolina Noriega Arce
Director of National Conferences and Gender Equality, Department of Security of the State of Mexico
Ms. Patricia Olivarria Muñoz
Head of Legal Consultations, Department of Public Security of the State of Sonora
Ms. Eva Lucia Orozco Torres
Transit Officer, Department of Public Security of the State of Chihuahua
Mr. Carlos Alberto Paez Vázquez
Operational Police, Department of Public Security of the State of Sinaloa
Mr. Ernesto Imanol Pérez Hernández
Operative, Department of Public Security of the State of Baja California Sur
Ms. Rebeca Rosas Romero
Head of the Police Radar Group, Department of Public Security of the State of Querétaro
Mr. Lester Millet, III
President
InfraGard Louisiana Chapter
The keynote speaker will provide an overview of law enforcement agencies in New Orleans and their history as well as cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies. InfraGard is a public/private partnership between the FBI and the private sector, more specifically, the sixteen DHS CISA-aligned critical sectors, whose mission is to network and share timely and actionable information for the purpose of public safety and to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Lester is currently the Executive Director of InfraGard Louisiana, recognized nationally among 77 Chapters as being one of the top InfraGard Chapters in the country. As a member of InfraGard, Lester was the Lead Architect in developing the Louisiana Statewide Credentialing Program Next Generation JSOP & the InfraGard Louisiana School Safety Multi-Hazard Toolkit, both nationally recognized. Lester Millet III has held the positions of Policy & Planning Director and Safety Risk Agency Manager for the Port of South Louisiana for the past Seventeen years, serving as a public/private stakeholder liaison on issues pertaining to Port Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Overview Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) works to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries deliver justice and fairness by strengthening their police, courts, and corrections systems. These efforts reduce the amount of crime and illegal drugs reaching U.S. shores. Addressing the security and public health challenges posed by the illegal drug trade requires strong U.S.-Mexico cooperation. Beyond drug trafficking, Mexican criminal groups increasingly profit from other criminal activity including fuel theft, human smuggling, extortion, and kidnapping. Transnational crime undermines border security, disrupts markets, corrupts institutions, and poses grave threats to national security and our partners in the region.
New Orleans District Attorney’s Office &
New Orleans Health Department’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Program
City of New Orleans, City Hall
1300 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Topic: Collaboration Between Agencies to Combat Gender-Based Violence
This joint meeting will discuss the agencies’ work and the collaborations or interconnections between them. The New Orleans District Attorney’s Office focuses on the prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault cases, the Domestic Violence Screening Unit, and victim witness services and resources.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner’s Unit
University Medical Complex
2000 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Topic: Offering Joint Services to the Community
During this visit, participants will learn more about LCMC’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner’s Unit and its specialized training and sensitization program, which helps professionals recognize, treat, and report victims of domestic violence, which helps build effective cases for the prosecution of abusers and traffickers. SANE offers the parish’s first and only Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, specifically dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive care to anyone age 15 years and older, regardless of gender, location of the crime, where they live, or if there is police involvement. Nurses are specially trained to use the latest technology to treat victims of sexual assault in a private, confidential setting.
Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault: The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) is an NGO committed to empowering survivors, engaging advocates, and changing systems and social norms to end sexual violence in Louisiana. In cooperation with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, LaFASA recently produced a widely consulted planning guide for prevention and response planning for addressing sexual violence in disasters. Meeting representatives from LaFASA will discuss the foundation’s planning guide for prevention and response planning for sexual violence in disasters.
The New Orleans Police Department’s Special Victim’s Section consists of the Sex Crimes Unit, the Child Abuse Unit and the Domestic Violence Unit. The Sex Crimes Unit is a specialized investigative unit which has the responsibility to handle the investigation of all rapes and attempted rapes, sexual batteries, and carnal knowledge cases (except in child abuse cases). The Sex Offender Registration Squad and the Cold Case Squad are part of the Sex Crimes Unit. The NOPD representatives will discuss how their Unit interacts and collaborates with SANE and LaFASA.
Hannah Baron, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Center for Inter-American Policy & Research (CIPR)
Tulane University, Newcomb Institute
Topic: Academic research and innovations in the field of gender based violence
Newcomb Institute is a groundbreaking academic center in the heart of Tulane University and at the leading edge of gender equity research in the world. Their multidisciplinary feminist approach involves generating scholarly work, convening stakeholders, and documenting histories of people who have faced systematic gender-based marginalization. In collaboration with academic institutions, policymakers, and civil society organizations, they advocate for policies and practices that promote gender equity and inclusivity. Their priority areas for research and training between 2023-2028 are the Protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights; the Prevention of gender-based and discriminatory violence, including intimate partner violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault, and homophobic and transphobic discrimination; and the Strengthening feminist civic and community engagement through the development of student leaders and community members as change agents.
Hannah Baron’s research examines political and criminal violence and democratic backsliding, with a regional focus on Latin America. Currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (CIPR) at Tulane University, Baron completed their PhD in Political Science at Brown University in 2023, and was previously a Predoctoral Fellow at the Center for US-Mexican Studies, UC San Diego(2021-23), a Peace Scholar Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace(2021-22), and an Emerging Scholar awarded by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (2021-22). Their research has been published in Political Science Research and Methods, PS: Political Science and Politics, and is forthcoming at the Journal of Peace Research. Baron has ongoing collaborative projects to evaluate and improve research ethics in violent contexts, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). Baron also holds a BA in Romance Languages & Literatures and Studies of Women, Gender, & Sexuality from Harvard College, magna cum laude, with undergraduate studies focused on queer and feminist prose, poetry, and performance art under conditions of political violence and repression in the Americas.
New Orleans Police Department
NOPD HQ, 1615 Poydras Street, 18th floor
Topic: Identifying Warning Signs of Gender-Based Violence
This meeting will be with departmental leadership or instructors who can speak to how they train their police officers to identify warning signs/red flags of gender-based violence/abuse.
The New Orleans Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit is a specialized investigative unit that has the responsibility to conduct follow-up investigations on domestic violence incidents or initial investigations on the following crimes listed in the Domestic Violence Integrated Protocol.
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has over 35 years of policing experience and 20 years as a Chief of Police. From Memphis, Tenn., Kirkpatrick has a proven track record across a diverse number of jurisdictions for transforming police departments and reducing violent crime. Kirkpatrick most recently served as Chief of Police in Oakland, where she implemented a significant cultural change in terms of increasing police accountability and transparency, improving Procedural Justice and implementing equity-based decision-making. This cultural shift coincided with a 20-year low homicide rate and a decrease in non-fatal shootings during her tenure. Prior to her tenure in Oakland, Kirkpatrick served as Bureau Chief in Chicago, where she was the liaison to the Department of Justice (DOJ) while the Chicago Police Department was under investigation for patterns and practice of civil rights violations, resulting in a consent decree. Kirkpatrick also served as Chief of Police in the cities of Ellensburg, Federal Way and Spokane, all in the State of Washington, as well as serving as Undersheriff of the King County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to executive leadership experience, Kirkpatrick is a National Instructor for the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Association’s Leadership Training Program, where she instructs on topics including, but not limited to, Bias and Diversity, Emotional Intelligence and Leading Generations.
Eden Centers
1631 Seventh Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
Topic: Centers Addressing Human Trafficking And Violence Against Women
Eden Centers’ mission is to eradicate the trafficking and selling of human beings. They create systemic change through youth prevention, education and legislative advocacy, recovery and reentry services for victims, including emergency, transitional, and long-term shelter, and a lifelong community of care for survivors. During the meeting participants will learn about the Center’s services to human trafficking survivors and their public policy support, advocacy, and education initiatives.
Covenant House
611 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Topic: Cooperative Strategies Between Agencies and Centers to Combat Gender-Based Violence.
The New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force’s commitment is to the prevention of human trafficking in the Greater New Orleans area through education, outreach, and collaboration, as well as how they collaborate with other agencies by sharing and disseminating information, contacts, and protocols related to the existence, prevention, and response to human trafficking in and around New Orleans.