BOSTON, April 22—A member of Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s Gang Unit has been selected as the first prosecutor to train with police from across the United States and Central America in the five-year history of a law enforcement exchange program aimed at disrupting violent street gangs.

Assistant District Attorney Barrett Hyde will join municipal and state police from six US states and seven Central American countries as part of the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange, a program coordinated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Gang Task Force and funded by the US Department of State.

“Barrett’s work tackling gangs in Chelsea had a measurable impact in the quality of life there,” Conley said of the former Chelsea District Court point person for gang cases, now prosecuting gang cases countywide. “This is a great opportunity for him to share experiences, strategies, and tactics with a huge pool of other law enforcement professionals.”

As part of the CALEE program, Hyde will travel to Los Angeles and El Salvador for classroom, hands-on, and in-the-field training with host agencies. Before departing, he will work with Massachusetts State Police and the Chelsea Police Department to provide those training opportunities to visiting agency members.

“The landscape of gang activity in Suffolk County features local, hyper-local, and national or international groups,” Conley said. “We see some gangs affiliated with neighborhoods, some loyal to specific streets or even individual blocks, and some with allegiances to much larger groups. The stories and successes of our partner agencies will help us address each one of them.”

CALEE participants will train in vehicle stops and searches, interviews and interrogations, prosecutorial techniques, and other key components of law enforcement as they relate to anti-gang activity.

“This is a great opportunity for Barrett and our office,” Conley said, “But the real beneficiaries will be the neighborhoods we serve – the children who deserve a safe place to play, the families who deserve a safe place to live, and the businesses that deserve a safe place to do an honest day’s work.”

The CALEE opening ceremonies are scheduled for 9:00 tomorrow morning at the Marriott Cambridge Hotel, located at 50 Broadway in Cambridge. Media are invited to attend.

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