Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 165, No. 1, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Page: 10 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Singletary Memorial Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
10A ■ Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Cljerokeeai) Herald ■ thecherokeean.com
RUSK
By Beth Kuhles
Special Contributor
Rusk native and Sam Hous-
ton graduate student Caleb
Lenard was part of the inter-
national effort to strengthen
citizen security during his
internship with the Depart-
ment of State in Panama.
“It was my college education
in just four months,” said Mr.
Lenard, a Master of Security
Studies student at Sam Hous-
ton State University. “I got to
see all aspects of the criminal
justice system. It was great.
I learned a lot, even though I
wasn’t on the ground running
operations.”
Mr. Lenard served with the
State Department’s Bureau of
International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs in
Panama and helped coordi-
nate and monitor U.S. pro-
grams to fight international
drug and criminal activities
in Central America.
The training initiatives in
law enforcement, courts, cor-
rections and counterterrorism
were designed to increase
safety for citizens, disrupt
the flow of contraband be-
tween countries and enhance
security within the region.
Mr. Lenard wrote reports
highlighting achievements
in each program, which were
distributed to federal agencies
and embassies in the region
and in Washington, D.C.
“The sky is the limit with
international internships,”
said Dr. Jim Dozier, Intern-
ship Coordinator for the
College of Criminal Justice
at SHSU. “The positions are
competitive, but our Sam
Houston State Criminal Jus-
tice students have secured
many top-notch spots.”
Panama is a multi-party
constitutional democracy, and
the U. S. is supporting training
efforts to improve the criminal
justice system in the country.
Among the issues targeted
are harsh prison conditions,
judicial ineffectiveness, pro-
longed pretrial detention,
violence against women and
children, human trafficking
and conflicts involving indig-
enous people.
During his internship, Mr.
Lenard worked with many
federal agencies and private
organizations that offered
training to Panama officials.
He also visited programs and
witnessed results firsthand.
“I got to work with many
agencies that affected secu-
rity in Central America,” Mr.
Lenard said. “We were there
to help them achieve their
strategic mission in training
and operations. Ensuring that
Panama is stable and can
meet its own security needs is
important to the whole world
due to the Panama Canal.”
For law enforcement, that
mission included enhanced
training for national, border
and maritime police. Drug
Enforcement Administration
(DEA) and Homeland Securi-
ty Investigations (HSI) agents
were embedded with Panama
officers to provide the same
training offered to agents in
the U.S. to combat drug traf-
ficking and terrorism.
They also introduced the
community policing model
in the country to build better
relationships between local
officers and neighborhoods
and introduce crime preven-
tion strategies.
“I saw videos of the work
that was done,” said Mr. Le-
nard. “The Panama officers
are just as able as the agents
working here.”
Customs and Border Pro-
tection agents worked with
Panama border guards on how
to better protect the Darien
region, which was seized from
control of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Columbia
(FARC), which used the area
as a route for drug and hu-
man smuggling from other
countries to the United States.
In maritime policing, INL
training efforts paid off when
Panama officers rehabilitated
an old Coast Guard ship for
use in patrols. “They did it all
themselves,” said Mr. Lenard.
In the court system, INL
contracted experts from the
American Bar Association
to help the Panamanians to
implement better practices in
the courts forjudges, prosecu-
tors, defense attorneys and
law enforcement officers. The
training included skills like
police evidence collection,
arrest procedures, mediation
and sentencing options.
“This was the area that I
think was most beneficial,”
Mr. Lenard said. “We were
teaching them how to run a
case in the more efficient ac-
cusatory judicial system. In
the old inquisitorial system,
they were keeping people sit-
ting in jail for years waiting
for trial.”
The U.S. team offered many
new options to court officials
for both the adult and juvenile
systems that provide alterna-
tives to overcrowded jails and
prisons in the country. These
include probation and parole
as well as juvenile reha-
bilitation through restorative
justice efforts in their com-
munities. INL trained police
to introduce the DARE and
GREAT programs in schools
to help reduce drug crimes
and gang participation.
The INL also worked jointly
with United Nations officials
to offer corrections alterna-
tives. Among the programs
they introduced were train-
ings for women in prison for
future jobs as call takers,
seamstresses and community
development leaders. To help
indigenous people who did not
speak Spanish or English,
pamphlets were developed in
native indigenous languages
that outline their rights.
Mr. Lenard hopes to use the
skills he learned in Panama in
a career with the Diplomatic
Security Service, where he
would travel the world to
protect U.S. embassies and
personnel. He plans on do-
ing a second internship with
the agency before graduating
with a Master’s degree in Se-
SEEIHaCROSBY
SXQNE
COUNTY COURT AT LAW
JANICE
REPUBLICAN FORJUDGE
www.JaniceforJudge.com f
nTVn t flStaffl
i ifci •
,... wrrrfft'fl ftamiiH ftTfrwni eve
Three decades of experience
as an attorney and small
business owner
Community involvement
includes Kiawnis Club of
Jacksonville, Chamber of
Commerce, American Cancer
Society, YMCA,Texas Exes and
Legal Hotline for Older Texans.
Strong supporter of the 2nd
Amendment and is a
concealed handgun license
holder and NRA member.
Endorsed by respected
Conservative Leaders
Billie Hopson
Lewie Byers
Barry & Martha Hughes
Randy & Cheryl Gorham
John Mark Lester
Betty Jane Addington
Moody & Tricia Glass
Jennifer Beall Hatchett
Tom & Joyce Cammack
Garry & Patrice Minton
Gene & Donna Brumbelow
Stuart & Sharon Bird
Tiffany Smith Jacobson
J. Mark & Aline Canter
Harry Tilley
Janice Crosby Stone:
A lifetime of experience as a
respected 30-year veteran attorney
and lifetime Republican.
VOTE in the Republican
Primary election on
March 4th! Or vote early
f through this Friday
J* ' ' *;4Li /J. ,
Pd pol. adv. by Janice Crosby Stone campaign, Randy Gorham, Treasurer.
In compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act...
Janice Crosby Stone will be
an honest, conservative judge.
COURTESY PHOTO: SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY
Rusk native and Sam Houston State University graduate student Caleb Lenard recently
completed an internship with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Panama. Mr. Lenard graduated from Texas
A&M University and will graduate from SHSU in May.
curity Studies in May.
Mr. Lenard got hooked on
his career choice while attend-
ing Texas A&M. In addition
to getting his undergraduate
degree there, he also attained
a certificate in International
Relations from the Bush
School of Government and
Public Service.
After graduation, he decided
to obtain a Master’s degree
in Security Studies at Sam
Houston State University
to round out his academic
pursuits.
To prepare for the inter-
national arena, he also par-
ticipated in a Study Abroad
program as an undergraduate
as well as took trips to Mexico,
Puerto Rico and the Domini-
can Republic to sharpen his
language skills.
Through his internship, Mr.
Lenard realized the wide ar-
ray of opportunities that are
available in international
law enforcement. He worked
with several consultants,
such as representatives from
the Coast Guard and Boston
Police Department, who are
involved in training opportu-
nities abroad.
With this experience under
his belt, Mr. Lenard was
invited to help select his suc-
cessor in the internship. He
offered advice for students
looking for the job.
“I looked at over 200 appli-
cations,” he said. “For people
applying for jobs, don’t say
how the j ob will benefit you in
the statement of interest, but
rather how you will benefit
the agency.”
RUGER SALE
American Rifle
LCP 380 ACP
SR-22LR
m
Hwy 69 South
www.aceofpawn.com
$349.99 LC9 9mm $379.99 LC380.380ACP $349.99
$319.99 LCR22LR Revolver $439.99 SR45 Stainless $429.99
$329.99 SR9 9mm $439.99
j
mm
• Cherokee County Native
• Married with three sons
• Master’s Degree in Public
Administration from
Stephen F. Austin State
University
• 22 years Judicial Experience
• Caring and Committed to the
Citizens of Cherokee County
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Gonzalez, Terrie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 165, No. 1, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 26, 2014, newspaper, February 26, 2014; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth649438/m1/10/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.