Amador County - Criminal justice officials from the African country of Rwanda made a visit to Amador County on March 3rd and 4th to observe our system of law and how to best implement that in their home country. This unusual arrangement was made by Howard Mosley, Chief Deputy Inspector General for California and an adjunct professor a McGeorge School of Law. The Rwandan government contacted Mosley to help implement a witness protection program to safeguard witnesses called to testify against those people responsible for the genocide that killed between 800,000 and 1 million Tutsis in 1994. The Tutsi tribe population in that country was almost completely wiped out by opposing Hutus after the Hutu President was assassinated by Tutsi officers, sparking riots. Mosley developed a program for the Rwandan delegation designed to track a fictional case from its initial report to law enforcement to arraignment in Superior Court. “Mr. Mosley believed that the delegation would be more comfortable and learn more by observing the best practices implemented in a smaller agency with limited resources- since that is the reality of Rwanda,” said District Attorney Todd Riebe. The delegation was comprised of Martin Ngoga, Prosecturer General for Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority, Anne Gahongayire, Secretary General of the Rwandan Supreme Court, Stephane Nyembo, Head of the Information Communication Technology Unit and Michael Rukata, First Counselor of the Rwandan Embassy in Washington, D.C. They visited the Sheriff’s office March 3rd for an overview of the Amador law enforcement agency before visiting the District Attorney the next day. Over the two day period, the delegates were informed on everything from preparation of trial exhibits, to the role of the D.A. and the victim witness office, to the utilization of technology systems. In a briefing before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Sheriff Martin Ryan said “it was great having them here and showing them the latest technology. We’ve also been invited to Rwanda.” Riebe summed up his impression of the visit, saying: “It was a humbling experience to get to know people who have endured hardships beyond the imagination and yet have persevered and put themselves in a position where they can make their country a better place to live. Staff Reports, Contributions by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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