Above: Delmas (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Haitian National Police is developing a “community policing unit” aimed at improving engagement with citizens.

The unit’s members have been training with HNP teachers and Haitian-American officers from the New York Police Department, covering courses from ethics and disciplinary regulations to stress management.

The Haitian National Police began recruiting the officers in 2012, with 40 chosen out of an initial pool of 150 applicants.

The 40-officer unit will serve in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, with the officers set to graduate from training at the end of this month.

The NYPD has had Creole-speaking officers in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake, with the US State Department underwriting the officers’ salaries and other costs.

For the past two years, the NYPD has deployed 68 Haitian-American officers to Haiti for 90-day rotations.