U.S. donates crime-fighting equipment to Costa Rica

By Dialogo
July 24, 2013

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – The U.S. government has donated equipment and computer software to Costa Rican officials to improve the Central American nation’s justice system and counter-narcotics fight.
The U.S. donated 17 laptop computers, 19 desktop computers, 107 software licenses and two projectors. The donation is part of US$20 million the U.S. is giving to Central American nations as part of the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI).
“This donation is a display of the friendship and alliance between the governments of the United States and Costa Rica to develop strategies to neutralize new forms of crime,” Supreme Court Vice President José Manuel Arroyo told the Tico Times.
The Costa Rican Prosecutor’s Office also is being helped by representatives from U.S.-based Florida International University to implement a system that aids in the prosecution of international crime and narco-trafficking cases.
“Investment in the latest technology equipment is fundamental to prosecute members of criminal groups, as those types of groups also have access to the most modern technology,” U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Eric Nelson said. “This new system will help prosecutors investigate cases and disband crime groups more efficiently.”
[Tico Times (Costa Rica), 23/07/2013; La Prensa Libre (Costa Rica), 23/07/2013]