Remember Interpol? The global crime-fighting agency was in the spotlight last year when Beijing arrested its Chinese-national leader Meng Hongwei and it looked like a Vladimir Putin crony might take his place. The appointment of a South Korean to Interpol’s top job ended that controversy. Yet Interpol’s obeisance to dictators remains a problem, and reform should be on Washington’s agenda.

Interpol isn’t the international crime-fighting agency of Hollywood imagination. The 194-country organization is primarily an information...