JOSEPH TRINCELLITO

3830 N. 9^th St., #103E

Arlington, VA 22203

Experience:

Over 30 years of investigative, project management, public policy and institutional development experience in rule of law, criminal justice, and post-conflict public security programs, including emerging democracies, post-conflict and transitional environments.  Specific expertise in:  strategic planning, investigative policies and procedures; design, planning, management and evaluation of international development and assistance programs in post-conflict and emerging democracy situations; technical assistance in drafting enabling legislation and implementing policies and procedures; integration of police and prosecutorial development; design and development of criminal investigative and professional responsibility functions; police organization and management; academy development and training; court and judicial security; evidence handling and chain of custody.   Experience working with the US Departments of State and Justice, the United Nations, USAID, international donors, and numerous host governments on international development projects.   Post-conflict/failed state experience includes Panama (creation of civilian police), Somalia (Strategic Plan for the reestablishment of the Somali National Police), E. Slavonia (integration of Serb/Croat police), Haiti (management of both police and prosecutor development programs), Kosovo (harmonization of judicial, prosecutor and police investigative procedures) and Afghanistan (implementation plan for Justice Sector mentoring and police/prosecutor cooperation in criminal investigations).  Provided a presentation to Mexican and US officials in Mexico City on lessons learned and best practices in police redesign.  Developed a criminal investigation training course for the Mongolian Special Investigations Unit and conducted in-country instruction. 

EDUCATION:  Master of Public Administration (MPA), George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1983

   B.S., State University of New York, New Paltz, New York, 1971

KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

Management and Administration:  Over 25 years experience directly supervising and managing operational and administrative support programs, including: budget and finance; personnel; information systems; contracting and procurement; planning and evaluation, internal controls and public affairs.  Have supervised staffs from as few as four to more than 200 and have constituted and led a variety of multi-disciplinary teams to successfully implement major projects.

Project Management:  Extensive experience managing headquarters staffs, overseas offices and large scale projects.  International projects include programs to establish rule of law and promote public security.  This experience includes management of sustainable development programs in over 20 countries, including efforts in Panama, El Salvador, Somalia, Haiti, Rwanda, Kosovo, and Croatia, and extensive international travel to meet with host government officials.  Domestic projects have included IT system development, risk analysis and threat assessment, facility design and construction, regulatory compliance, and physical security.

Networking and Business Development:   As a senior manager with the Department of Justice, responsible for international programs, maintained close working relationships with US funding agencies, such as USAID and the Department of State, the United Nations, international development agencies such as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Canada’s CIDA program and others.  As a DEA official, worked closely with the drug and chemical industries.  In the last four years, as a consultant, I have assisted USAID Rule of Law IQC and INL Justice Sector Support Program contract holders to draft winning proposals for a variety of rule of law and justice reform projects.

Communication:  During my tenure with the Department of Justice, I was called upon to draft legislation, negotiate international treaty provisions, and make oral and written presentations to: congressional members and staff; White House staff, the National Security Council, senior US agency officials, senior foreign officials, international organizations (such as the United Nations and Organization of American States), private industry executives and NGOs.  Since retirement, publications include papers on “lessons learned” in post-conflict interventions and I recently provided input into a soon to be released USAID post-conflict manual for Democracy and Governance officers.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2001 to Date:   Independent Consultant in rule of law and justice reform.

Providing both technical and program development assistance to international rule of law projects funded by USAID, State, and international agencies.  Specific activities include: direct technical assistance to State/INL-funded NCSC/PAE Afghanistan Justice Sector Support Project (implementation plan for Justice Sector mentoring and police/prosecutor cooperation in criminal investigations); USAID-funded Court Administration project in Kosovo in the areas of court security, chain of custody/evidence handling and accountability and enforcement of judgments; direct technical assistance in the support of the US Embassy in Lima, Peru in developing a strategy for support of police reform; presentation to Mexican and US officials in Mexico City on lessons learned and best practices in police redesign; design and implementation of a criminal investigation course for the Mongolian SIU; design and implementation of information system technology for the Croatian courts; technical drafting of project proposals for State/INL and USAID-funded projects; participation in the drafting a USAID post-conflict manual for Democracy and Governance officers, and provided in-country assessment and development technical assistance for INL funded Afghanistan Justice Sector mentoring and police/prosecutor cooperation programs.

1993 – 2001:     International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), U.S. Dept of Justice.

As Associate Director, Operations, from 1995 through 2001, was responsible for management of international programs and new project development for ICITAP.  These included both foreign training and institutional development programs, including management of both the ICITAP police and OPDAT prosecutorial development projects for Haiti (1995-1997).  Management responsibilities included oversight of overseas offices in Panama, El Salvador, Bolivia and elsewhere in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe, as well as headquarters-based programs, and oversight of contractor efforts in support of programs.  This required maintaining close working relationships with USAID and Department of State on policy issues and budget/finance matters.  Represented ICITAP in a variety of interagency groups on rule of law issues, peacekeeping operations, political-military planning and complex contingency operations.   Regularly met with officials of US government agencies, the United Nations, international development agencies (such as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Canada’s CIDA program, UK’s DFID), and NGOs.  As Chief of Planning and Evaluation, from 1993-1995, managed a number of critical ICITAP programs, including:  program planning, program design, program evaluation and curriculum/academy development.  Established performance measurement criteria and implemented a program to evaluate ICITAP in-country projects.  Maintained close liaison and working relationships with USAID and State on a variety of program design and evaluation issues.  

1988 – 1993:     Assistant Chief, INTERPOL-USNCB, Washington, D.C.

As Assistant Chief, I had managerial responsibilities for both operational and administrative support programs.  As the USNCB’s designated Executive Officer, was responsible for all operational support functions, including budget and finance: public affairs; international communications systems; database design and access; physical, personnel and information security; and records management.  These duties required extensive consultations with senior US and foreign officials, participation in domestic multi-agency planning groups, and international coordination bodies dealing with issues of information technology, communications and data sharing, knowledge of FAR and GSA best practices, personnel procedures and regulations, and information technology processes.

1978 – 1988:     Supervisory Investigator (Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Administrator), Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington, D.C.

Part of senior management team responsible for implementing Federal government programs concerning the investigation of diversion of legally produced drugs into the illicit market, assuring drug industry compliance with narcotic and dangerous drug manufacturing, security and recordkeeping legislative and regulatory requirements, US compliance with international drug treaties, and the drafting of narcotics related policies, legislation and regulations.  I was DEA’s senior treaty negotiator for the 1988 Vienna Convention on Trafficking (1994-1988), DEA representative to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and drafted major provisions of the 1984, 1986 and 1988 anti-crime legislation.  Contacting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) for the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects, analyses and publishes drug injury data from hospital emergency rooms.

1972 – 1978:  Supervisory Compliance Investigator (Group Supervisor), Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Regional Office/ Investigator, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs/Drug Enforcement Administration, New York and Buffalo Offices.

Supervised a group of special agents and investigators responsible for industry regulatory compliance and investigating prescription drug diversion in five New England states.  Duties included responsibility for security and accountability for drug and non-drug evidence retained by the regional office.  In addition to conducting and overseeing investigations, initiated a program to identify suspicious transactions involving precursor and essential chemicals used by clandestine drug laboratories in the making of narcotics and dangerous drugs.

Select Articles and Publications

Stromsem, Janice M. and Trincellito, Joseph, Building the Haitian National Police: A Retrospective and Prospective View, Trinity College Haiti Project, Washington, DC, April 2003.

[http://www.trinitydc.edu/academics/depts/interdisc/international/PDF%20files/HNP.final.pdf]

Stromsem, Janice M. and Trincellito, Joseph, Peacebuilding in Haiti: Lessons Learned in Building the Haitian National Police, presented at the International Peace Academy Lessons Learned  Seminar: Peacebuilding in Haiti, New York, January 23-24, 2002.

            Trincellito, Joseph, Drug Diversion: A Historical Perspective, U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, April 1993.