Oscar Álvarez

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Oscar Alvarez has held numerous positions in Honduran government, most notably his recent position as Minister of Public Security for the Republic of Honduras, which he held from January 27, 2002 until November 14, 2005.

1 Stint as Minister of Public Security
2 Past Accomplishments
3 Family
4 External link

[edit] Stint as Minister of Public Security

While in this position, Alvarez was in charge of all internal security for Honduras. Alvarez played a key role in helping to implement Homeland Security’s CSI (Container Security Initiative), which gave Hondurans the ability to ship containers to any port in the United States without major security restrictions.

Alvarez also worked closely with several United States agencies in the fight against organized crime, narcotics trafficking, terrorism, human smuggling, and gangs. Such agencies include but are not limited to: Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Investigation and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His attempts to make Honduras safer led to a tough crackdown on gangs that saw many gang members put in jail.

Alvarez was also a key element in the establishment of the Honduran Border Patrol Units, in close cooperation with Homeland Security’s Border Tactical Units (BORTAC). Up to today, it is considered among the most successful exercises involving international cooperation in law enforcement between the United States of America and Honduras. Alvarez resigned from the position in order to help with the National Party election campaign of presidential hopeful Porfirio Lobo Sosa in November, 2005.

[edit] Past Accomplishments

Alvarez has held numerous presidential appointments in Honduras, including Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Coordination and Analysis, which reports directly to the President of Honduras. Alvarez is founder and president of ATESA Seguridad, one of the largest security companies in Honduras. ATESA Seguridad provides turn key service to many major banks and industries. Services include risk analysis, due diligence, design and implementation of electronic and physical security, training and maintenance of the equipment. Also, Atesa Seguridad has done specialized work for global security companies such as Control Risk, Knoll and foreign intelligence services.

Alvarez attended several US military schools including Ranger, Special Forces and the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, where he had the distinction of being the first cadet to receive commission in a foreign army. During Alvarez’s career he has been awarded several medals and recognitions including the Honduran Army Combat Medal, Commendation Medal, US Special Forces School Achievement Medal and Special Recognition from the US State Department, FBI and DEA. Mr. Alvarez has a BA in political science from Texas A&M University and has attended the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) taking courses on International Relations and Security Studies.