HSI TCIU officer earns degree through USAID-sponsored program

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Guatemala Country Attaché Angel L. Ortiz had forgotten about the letter of recommendation he’d written two years ago.

After all, he’d written so many letters before, that, at the time, the request from Harold Vazquez didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

In 2012, the local officer, who is a part of the HSI Guatemala Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), requested the letter to assist in his entrance into a newly-formed U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored program that would earn him a bachelor’s degree in police science and a minor in community policing. On Sept. 16, two years after receiving his later of recommendation, Vazquez received his degree from the Universidad del Occidente in Guatemala.

One of the first calls he made was to Ortiz inviting him to his graduation.

In addition to graduating, Vazquez was recognized by the Minister of Government and other Guatemalan government and academic authorities for his commitment to law enforcement.

“I’m thankful to Attaché Ortiz because this opportunity helped both personally and workwise since I have the achieved a huge goal in my life and will be able to put to practice the knowledge acquired within and outside the institution,” Vazquez said. “HSI has given us the necessary technology and training to conduct sophisticated investigations, enabling us to solve important cases.”

The USAID-sponsored program, the first of its kind in Guatemala, places special emphasis on community-based policing. By the conclusion of the curriculum, attendees will have earned a university-level education taught by experienced law enforcement officials which will strengthen their knowledge about police tactics and improve their performances in the field.

According to Ortiz, that training has been especially beneficial to HSI because working with officers who have received an added level of education and training give the agency an added advantage in the field.

HSI TCIUs are responsible for working on HSI priorities, criminal investigations and act as a force multiplier by providing operational support to HSI personnel stationed overseas who do not possess law enforcement authorities abroad. HSI TCIUs facilitate information exchange and rapid bilateral investigation of violations within the HSI investigative purview. TCIU priority investigative areas will include transnational crimes which affect the host country’s area of responsibility, with an emphasis on those affecting the security of the United States. Officers like Vazquez, who are embedded in the TCIU, are vetted and must pass a background check, formal interview and a polygraph.

It’s a win-win for both the local officers and HSI.

“The more we invest, the more successful we are,” Ortiz said. “The fact that these cops are out there investigating and conducting interviews speaks a lot of our unit.”