The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to increase forensic capacity including crime scene management, evidence collection and preservation through provision of technical support and equipment to law enforcement entities throughout the country of Ethiopia in support of preventing atrocities related to conflict.

The vision of this project is to increase forensic capacity of the Ethiopian police and Ethiopian Police University to provide robust and credible forensic services that will contribute towards long-term outcomes in rights-based law enforcement in Ethiopia. If INL supports the Ethiopian Police University to revise and redevelop its training system, both new officers and those already on the job can be influenced to follow a human rights-based approach. The availability to federal and regional police services of technical support -- including crime scene management, evidence collection and forensic capacity -- will ultimately foster increased public trust in the criminal justice system through a reduced pre-trial detention period and better case outcomes. This project will support INL Functional Bureau Strategy Goal 3: Strengthen criminal justice systems to support stable, rights-respecting partners.