Eric Beinhart presented an Instructor and Curriculum Devel-
opment Course to 10 master instructors. During this 5-day
training, 9 micro-training (MT) modules were developed, con-
sisting of the following: 1) understanding the new election laws;
2) ensuring proper conduct at polling places; 3) prosecuting
electoral offenses; 4) maintaining tolerance and respect during
the election period; 5) mitigating gender discrimination in
elections; 6) safeguarding persons with disabilities and vulner-
able persons around elections; 7) maintaining police neutrality
around elections; 8) establishing police/community communi-
cation; and 9) instituting stress management. There were only a few incidents of violence during the No-
vember 17, 2012 elections, where in the Sierra Leone Police
acquitted themselves well. The EU’s final observation report of
the election, positively referenced how police were seen escort-
ing disabled and vulnerable persons (pregnant women, nursing
mothers, and the elderly) to the front of voting lines. The fact
that police should help disabled and vulnerable persons during
the elections was emphasized repeatedly in the ICITAP roll call
training.
From September 24-October 5 (Phase 2), the 10 SLP master in-
structors presented a one-day MT to 732 SLP supervisory and
community outreach officers in 32 of the 34 police divisions in
Sierra Leone. All of them received the complete MT written
curricula. Additionally, 120 citizens—including members of
Local Police Partnership Boards, media representatives, and
paramount chiefs--attended the same training. The 732 police
officers provided the MT at morning parades at police stations
and police posts throughout the country (Phase 3), while the
trained civilians presented the MT over community radio and
in community fora. Because the roll call lesson plans in English
were so short (1-3 pages), they could be easily translated and
presented in local languages around the country such as Mand-
inka, Fula, Temne, and Mende. This made the training accessi-
ble to an even greater number of people. One of the greatest tests of any government is how effectively it
protects citizens and property during and after disasters. These
phenomena are typically unpredictable, whether they are natu-
ral disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, infectious dis-
ease outbreaks; or man-made disasters, such as terrorist attacks,
large-scale vehicle/ship/airplane crashes; or civil disorder that
results from either planned or spontaneous demonstrations. It
is incumbent upon any government to develop and implement
emergency management systems that create effective commu-
nication protocols between different agencies in order to unify
and coordinate emergency responses. Coordinated responses
can mean the difference between societal collapse, or a swift
restoration of government services and the implementation of
humane measures to protect citizens. The calamitous earth-
quake in Haiti that struck on January 12, 2010, illustrates how
Emergency Management
A Systems-Based Approach to Disaster Response
Events
Govt.
Sectors
Infectious
Disease
Outbreak Food and
Water
Supplies
Disrupted Natural
Disaster or
Military/
Terrorist
Attack Financial
System
Failure Electricity
Out
Indefinitely Demonstrations
Public Health Humanitarian
Assistance Multiple
Sectors Economic/
Financial Public
Utilities Political and
other Sectors
Legislation authorizing
Emergency Management
System
Legislative Authority
Framework developed with
input from all sectors Emergency
Management
System
Police Maintain Order Public
Order
Management
Plan
Impact
Promotes
Respect for
Human
Rights
Tool for
Civic
Education
Essential
Police
Policy
11
Provides a
Framework
for
Training
Critical
Element
in Election
Security
Improved
Governance