BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A group of Mongolian Prosecutors crossed the earth to learn more about justice in the two Virginias. They’re getting a first-hand look into how areas in the U.S. are fighting crime.
The group of prosecutors is part of the Congressional Office for International Leadership’s Open World Program. It connects professionals from other countries with their peers in the United States. This group is focused on learning more about three specifics areas of law.
“To learn how to digitize criminal proceedings, plea bargaining and also combating narcotics and drug trafficking and all of the related issues to such trafficking,” said Dr. Sudhakar Jamkhandi, president of the non-profit: Center for International Understanding.
Dr. Jamkhandi’s non-profit helped organize the meetings with judicial leaders in the area. So far the group has spoken with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern district of West Virginia Will Thompson, members of West Virginia’s Drug Task Force as well as the top prosecutor in Mercer County, Brian Cochran.
“We’re learning from each other and that’s what this is all about. This is foreign policy initiatives in action. We are all citizen diplomats and we’re all ambassadors no matter what we do. Here we are trying address common problems and common issues,” said Dr. Jamkhandi.
Bluefield’s City Manager, Cecil Marson, says it was an enjoyable experience to welcome people from across the globe to Bluefield. Marson says part of their discussion compared the city’s court to the system used in Mongolia.
“They really wanted to know at the city level our misdemeanors and how our courts are held twice a month and just our process. A lot about how the police officers do their work and prosecute their crimes,” said Marson. “They asked questions about our body cameras and other things like that and how we have our checks and balances in the system.”
At the end of this meeting between the two groups, the Mongolian prosecutors made sure to share gifts with city leaders. A token of gratitude for what they learned in the two Virginias.
The group of prosecutors is also set to cross the border into Virginia and meet with the Tazewell County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Chris Plaster.
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