Ex-DEA Official Gets Police Reform Job

Britain appointed a former U.S. law enforcement official to oversee reform of the Northern Ireland police force, one of the most divisive goals of the province’s peace accord. Roman Catholics are demanding drastic changes in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, a predominantly Protestant force. As the independent police oversight commissioner, Thomas A. Constantine--who retired last year as director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and previously headed the New York State Police--must assess whether change is happening in the right way and at the right pace. Constantine is expected to discuss the pace of police reform three times a year with officials in Belfast, the provincial capital, and issue public reports, starting in October.