This webinar is the ninth webinar in a series presenting innovative research on crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like to receive updates via email on future webinars in this series, sign up for the series mailing list here.

The deployment of the armed forces to support domestic policing operations has been used across multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. While it has supporters among those who advocate for an “iron fist” approach to high levels of crime, especially in contexts with constrained police forces, detractors express concerns about the potential for human rights abuses at the hands of soldiers trained for combat. New findings from a study in Colombia bring rigorous evidence to the debate.

In this webinar, Michael Weintraub (Universidad de los Andes) discussed his randomized impact evaluation, carried out with coauthor Rob Blair (Brown University), of recurring, intensive military patrols to reduce crime in Cali, Colombia. Santiago Pérez-Vincent (Inter-American Development Bank) commented on the implications of this research. A 10-minute Q&A followed the presentation.

• Michael Weintraub, Associate Professor of Government and Director of the Security and Violence Area of the Center for the Study of Security and Drugs (CESED), Universidad de los Andes

Policy Discussant

• Santiago Pérez-Vincent, Research Coordinator for the Citizen Security and Justice Cluster, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Moderator

• Ana María Serrano, Policy and Relationships Manager at IPA Colombia

Watch the video recordings below in English and Spanish.