The Puerto Rico Police (PPR; , ), officially the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (, ), is a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a division of the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety (PR DPS), alongside the Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau and the Puerto Rico Municipal Police and handles both traffic and criminal law enforcement in the commonwealth. As of 2020, the Puerto Rico Police force had 11,532 members.Puerto Rico Unsettled Territory: A Department of Justice Report on the Puerto Rico Police Department Reveals an 'Agency in Profound Disrepair'. A. J. Vicens. Cronkite Borderlands Initiative. Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Phoenix, Arizona. 29 October 2012. Accessed 31 August 2018. It is organized into thirteen regions within the island for operational purposes. Its headquarters are located at 601 Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue in San Juan.
History
Origins The first form of the Puerto Rico Police began in 1837, when Spanish governor Francisco Javier de Moreda y Prieto created La Guardia Civil de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Civil Guard) to protect the lives and property of Puerto Ricans, who at the time were Spanish subjects. It provided police services to the entire island, although many municipalities maintained their own police force.
Since taking possession of Puerto Rico in July 1898, as a result of the Spanish–American War, the United States has controlled the island as a US territory. The Insular Police of Puerto Rico was created on February 21, 1899, under the command of Colonel Frank Techner (US Marine Corps officer during the Spanish–American War), with an authorized strength of 313 sworn officers.
Ponce massacre
On March 21, 1937, approximately 30 officers placed themselves in an intersection in downtown Ponce to block a march by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party to celebrate the abolition of slavery and protest the incarceration of Pedro Albizu Campos.Latino Americans and political participation. Published by ABC-CLIO. 2004. . Retrieved 29 March 2012."Latino Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook". Sharon Ann Navarro and Armando Xavier Mejia. 2004. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc. . Retrieved 29 March 2012. As the demonstrators marched, singing La Borinqueña (Puerto Rico's national anthem), General Blanton Winship, the U.S. appointed governor of Puerto Rico, ordered Chief of Police Guillermo Soldevilla to open fire on the protesters. The massacre lasted 15 minutes and resulted in 19 fatalities. This and other incidents involving the Insular Police fueled the Puerto Rico independence movement, leading to the burning of police stations and post offices in 1950, and the Jayuya Uprising.
Quasi-military In 1980, in accordance with Law 26 of 1974, it was described as "a quasi-military" organization of public safety, later to be changed by the "Puerto Rico Police Act" (Act No. 53) of 10 June 1996 as a "Civil Organization" of public safety as those on the US mainland.
In 1993, governor Pedro Rosselló created a new plan to fight back against crime called Mano Dura Contra el Crimen (or "Strong Hand Against Crime") in which Puerto Rico Police officers were assisted by the Puerto Rico National Guard in everything that involved police work, except police investigations. They were better known because of the raids that they made in public housing complexes or "Caseríos" with rapid force and precision and also, the use of military vehicles and tactics. This program was put to the test from 1993 to 1996 and in total 48 police officers died in the line of duty. It was later activated again in 2004 by the governor Sila María Calderón but not with the same intensity as in the early 1990s.
Reorganization
In 2009, Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha reorganized the Puerto Rico Police in terms of commanding officers and regional organization. Every police zone was changed to have two commanding officers: one in charge of the field operations, and the other in charge of investigations. The name was changed from Police Zones to Police Regions. Also, a new policy of the agency was to get involved in the community. Officers must get out of their patrol cars and sometimes patrol on foot in neighborhoods, so they can talk to citizens and socialize, as well as identify the problems that exist in the neighborhood.
In 2017, Ricardo Rosselló, Governor of Puerto Rico, created the Public Security Department with Héctor Pesquera as its head which combined various government agencies under the control of a larger umbrella agency.
Financial problems The economic crisis on the island and the budget of the island is currently under control of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico created financial difficulties for the force. In 2019, the PRPD has dropped to 6,450 officers. The police force lost significant amounts of members as a result of officers retiring and reduced funding for recruitment. Estimates from 2018 suggested the force needed over a thousand more officers to meet the needs of the island. Representatives and senators proposed increase in the wages of the force to help increase recruitment. The lack of members affected the strength of the force and response to preventing crimes across the island.
Rank structure
See footnote for statistics. Rank Commissioner Colonel Lieutenant colonel Commander Inspector Captain First lieutenant Second lieutenant Sergeant Officer/ Agent Cadet Insignia No insignia Description Governor Appointee Bureau/ Regional/ Administrative Commander Regional/ Administrative Commander Regional Commander Division/ Unit/ District Commander District/ Precinct/ Unit Commander/Supervisor District/ Precinct/ Unit Commander District/ Precinct Commander Shift Supervisor Patrol
The Commissioner is the top commanding officer. He is one of five "head of government agencies" appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico under the Department of Public Safety. He leads the department and makes orders to the agency, and also instructs the commanding officers for field operations.
Since 1899, police chiefs in Puerto Rico were appointed by the United States Government. Selecting the police chief was originally the responsibility of the commanding officer of the United States Army in Puerto Rico, who also served as the governor until 1900 when the Foraker Act was established. Afterward, police chiefs were named by the U.S. Appointed Governor of Puerto Rico and the Chief of Police could serve in that position for not more than 4 years.
Law #77 converted the Puerto Rico Insular Police into the Puerto Rico Police Department on June 22, 1956. This converted the department from a quasi-military organization into a civil police force. The Chief of Police position was replaced by a Superintendent. Since then, the police superintendent has been named by the Governor of Puerto Rico.
The Associate Superintendent is the second in command. He follows every order from the commissioner, including if the commissioner cannot do some specific things that the second in command can do. Also, in case of sickness, disability or death, the Associate Superintendent assumes the position of Commissioner.
The Auxiliary Superintendent of Field Operations is in charge of every activity in the Puerto Rico Police Department that is related to the protection of life and property, maintaining law and order, the protection of civil rights, and crime prevention, almost as a 2nd in command. He plans, coordinates, leads, and controls all the operational actions in the prevention service phase with the integration of citizens in a common effort and meet the training-educational aspect of children and to prevent youth crime, in line with guidelines issued by the Superintendent. Also, he applies public policy on rescuing the affected communities by groups linked to drug trafficking that took control of the perimeters of the public and private housing projects.
Divisions and bureaus All divisions and bureaus are under the command of both the Superintendent and the Auxiliary Superintendent of Field Operations.
Criminal Investigation Corps Formed in the early 1970s, this unit has been in charge of investigating crimes in Puerto Rico. Its agents are mostly veteran officers or young officers who recently graduated from the academy. All 13 police regions in Puerto Rico have this bureau. Most of its cases have been from robberies and homicides. The bureau's divisions include:
Homicide Division Robbery Division Violent Crimes Division Stolen Vehicles Division Sexual Crimes Division Internal Affairs Division Fingerprints and Photographic Division
Drugs Division The Drugs Division is an elite unit that takes the fight to the enemy's doorstep. The officers impact the places where drug dealers sell narcotics, called Drug Points. In this hostile and dangerous environment, officers have been frequently attacked by drug point shooters, making it the highest-risk unit of the Puerto Rico Police Department. This division is also a Vice Unit that targets prostitution, illegal weapons, and other special cases.
Highway Patrol Bureau The Highway Patrol Bureau is divided into three divisions: the Radar and Alcohol Detection Unit, the Expressway Patrol Unit, and the Metro Rail Unit. The first two divisions share the same primary objectives of preventing and investigating traffic accidents, arresting drunk drivers, arresting street racers, and confiscating vehicles used for street racing. The Metro Rail Unit specifically protects the San Juan Metropolitan Area Rail System, or "Tren Urbano" in Spanish.
Joint Forces of Rapid Action
The Joint Forces of Rapid Action (FURA) is a bureau that coordinates and leads all strategies to fight the trafficking of drugs, narcotics, illegal weapons and illegal aliens. Specialized divisions within the bureau include: Air Support, Divers, Rescue, S.W.A.T., K-9 and Horseback units. The Bureau also coordinates with US federal agencies to fight crime.
Motorized Impact Unit The Motorized Impact Unit is a subdivided unit that comes from the Traffic Bureau and the Tactical Operations Unit. Deployed on motorcycles with the blue uniform and D.O.T. patch, unit members are easily identified. They are the first on the scene of a riot, taking control of the situation until the main D.O.T. squads arrive.
Organized Crime Bureau The Organized Crime Bureau conducts strategic research in the field of organized crime in Puerto Rico.
Robbery and Bank Fraud Division Organized in 1982, this division investigates robbery and fraud attempts committed against companies dedicated to the storage or custody of money or valuables. The division also coordinates the Amber alert system and investigates all kidnappings.
Security and Protection Office
This unit is the Dignitary Protective Services Division of the Puerto Rico Police Department. They have been charged with protecting the Governor of Puerto Rico and his family, the Secretary of State, the Police Superintendent, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House. Additionally, they protect the Resident Commissioner, Puerto Rico's only representative in the U.S. Congress, as well as other visiting government dignitaries, U.S. and foreign. They have also been charged with investigating individuals who apply for security guard licenses on the island, as well as certain individuals requesting a concealed carry permit. O.S.P. officers dress in plain clothes, usually dark suits, and wear a small gold circular lapel pin. If studied closely, it can be seen that this pin is the agent's badge.
Uniformed agents are also assigned to the office. These agents have been mostly assigned to motorcycle units, and as advance agents.