Feb. 28--ZEBULON -- He's vacationed in Europe before, but taking a month off work to administer police training in Bangladesh marked a first for Zebulon police Chief Tim Hayworth.
At the request of federal officials, Hayworth spent four weeks in Bangladesh, a small south Asian country surrounded by India, Burma and the Bay of Bengal, in late 2011. He set off on his journey on Nov. 9 and returned to the U.S. on Dec. 12.
He was contacted by the U.S. Department of Justice to take part in the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, and said he was chosen through the combination of his reputation for law enforcement teaching and knowing the right people.
Hayworth has been a law enforcement instructor for nearly 15 years, teaching everything from basic training to advanced classes for experienced officers.
"I was definitely interested," Hayworth said.
He spent time at two main locations while in the country -- two weeks in Sharda, along the Indian border to the west, and two weeks in Bogra to the north.
Instructors taught six days a week from Saturday to Thursday. Friday is reserved for a day of prayer.
In Sharda, the class covered interviews and interrogation.
"They're still not beyond getting physical in an interrogation," Hayworth said. "We had questions about electric shock and beating on tables with batons and roughing up people. We tried to teach more of a cognitive interview, and I think we made a difference."
Crime scene investigation was the topic of the second two-week session held in Bogra, the location of an in-service police training center.
Hayworth said Bangladesh's national police department is made up of about 240,000 police officers much like a military, but few have any actual police skills that can be applied in the field.
"They do 700 hours of drills on marching," he said. "They are superb at a parade, but they don't know how to process a crime scene."
Of the 240,000 officers, Hayworth said 140,000 are constables who are used to carry out chores for higher-ranking officers.
"They're not using them for police work," he said. "They're using them as chauffeurs, as servants. That's got to change to have an effective police department."
The situation creates trust problems between citizens and police, according to Hayworth. He said the instructors teach police to work with the community.
Zebulon Town Manager Rick Hardin said the Zebulon Police Department is in good shape organizationally and that made it possible for its leader to represent the town, and country, overseas.
"It was obviously an exciting event for Chief Hayworth and for the town," Hardin said.
Hayworth said it was an experience he will not forget.
Moody: 919-829-4806
Copyright 2012 - The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
