Embassy Events

Centralized Customer Service Unit at FELCC

U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Krishna Urs delivering remarks at the inauguration ceremony

September 26, 2007 was the inauguration of the Centralized Customer Service Unit at the Attorney’s Office and the Police Department in Santa Cruz.  The unit is part of a larger U.S. Government-financed effort to develop pilot units to streamline user services throughout the criminal justice system. The initiative is expected to greatly improve customer service by the District Attorney and police in Santa Cruz.

The Centralized Customer Service Unit was established by the Attorney General’s Office and the National Police with technical support from USAID.  The unit is designed to:

• Streamline all user-related services and provide timely and high-quality attention to crime victims.
• Offer timely solutions to criminal cases that affect the community through alternative dispute resolution.
• Facilitate access to information from the District Attorney’s Office and the Police Department through computer systems, thus increasing the effectiveness of criminal prosecutions by sharing information among different jurisdictions.

The implementation of the Centralized Customer Service Unit is important because:

• It will improve coordination between the Attorney’s Office and the Police and thus result in more efficient resolution of criminal cases.
• It will make managing and distributing the workload of the police and the Public Ministry more efficient.
• It will provide better service to victims of crime.

Police and dignitaries at the inauguration ceremony

The Customer Service Unit includes a Customer Service Reception/Information Desk, which receives citizens’ criminal complaints (or in non-criminal matters, refers complaints to other appropriate agencies), and forwards these complaints to the Analysis Unit for review.  The Analysis Unit acts as a filtering system by applying standard criteria to the complaints it receives, in order to determine whether a case should be referred to the Early Solution Unit or to the FELCC’s Specialized Divisions for further police investigation.  Finally, in the Early Solution Unit, prosecutors apply alternative dispute mechanisms to resolve cases that do not require trials or use of additional investigative and prosecutorial resources. 

In Bolivia, eleven Customer Service units are currently in operation.  Four have been established in District Attorney’s offices, and seven in the police (including the Santa Cruz platform and its five other decentralized platform modules in the Santa Cruz area.)  The implementation of Customer Service Units in La Paz, Santa Cruz, Potosí, Sucre and Tarija has provided institutional benefits in the resolution of cases and the use of technological tools.  Each Customer Service Unit involves a USG contribution of approximately $20,000 for infrastructure, furniture and equipment such as computers and printers.
 
The Santa Cruz Unit will help approximately 200.000 habitants in the city and surrounding neighborhoods, such as Plan 3000, Los Tusequis and La Radial 17 ½.  Attorneys, policemen, investigators and interns will staff the unit.