Wednesday, February 6, 2013

News Review: Catholic bishops conflicted over gays, immigration

Web Review:

THE ISLAND OF IMPUNITY: PRPD IN CRISIS

 

 News Review:


Catholic bishops conflicted over gays, immigration - Wednesday, February 06, 2013 - Steve Rothaus


Puerto Rico's statehood status still up in the air | The Progressive - Tuesday, February 05, 2013 - unknown


Puerto Rico police clear 2 suspects in Macho Camacho’s death http://ow.ly/htYUH - Wednesday, February 06, 2013 - Caribnews


New #FBI chief named for PR, USVI. Read: http://ow.ly/hrUyD #caribbeanbusiness - Tuesday, February 05, 2013


Puerto Rico's Battered Economy: The Greece Of The Caribbean? - NPR - Wednesday, February 06, 2013


Immigration Reform and Puerto Rico Self-Determination are Both Part of the American Agenda for Equality and Justice - Wednesday, February 06, 2013 - KG


One-Way Tickets To Florida: Puerto Ricans Escape Island Woes - WCAI - Tuesday, February 05, 2013 - (author unknown)

2.6.13 - THE ISLAND OF IMPUNITY: PRPD IN CRISIS - WEB REVIEW: The New York Times: Justice Dept. and Puerto Rico Agree to Overhaul the Island’s Troubled Police Force | The agreement follows a 116-page report: “The degree of police corruption and criminal misconduct in Puerto Rico is high and contributes to the public safety and civil rights crisis,” the report said. “More P.R.P.D. officers are involved in criminal activity than in any other major law enforcement agency in the country.” | 4 Puerto Rico policemen suspended amid evidence-planting probe - AP | New Federal Resources for Puerto Rico to Combat Drug-Related Violence - Puerto Rico Report | New FBI chief named for PR, USVI - By CB Online Staff | Island of Impunity: Puerto Rico's Outlaw Police Force - ACLU

Last Update: 2.12.13
 

 
Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Anti-gay hate crimes are rampant on the island, which has a population of 3.5 million, about the size of Connecticut. Nearly two dozen members of the LGBT community were murdered in Puerto Rico between 2009 and 2011 alone: Pedro Julio Serrano: "Unteaching" an Island - abcnews.go.com

Anti-gay hate crimes are rampant on the island, which has a population of 3.5 million, about the size of Connecticut. Nearly two doz...

Pedro Julio Serrano: "Unteaching" an Island - ABC News

 

ABC News



Pedro Julio Serrano: "Unteaching" an Island
ABC News
Anti-gay hate crimes are rampant on the island, which has a population of 3.5 million, about the size of Connecticut. Nearly two dozen members of the LGBT community were murdered in Puerto Rico between 2009 and 2011 alone. Pedro Julio, who has led ...

Pedro Julio Serrano: "Unteaching" an Island

via Caribbean Business on 2/11/13

FBI probing corruption cases in PR

The FBI is actively investigating public corruption in Puerto Rico and will cont ...


FBI probing corruption cases in PR
By CB Online Staff


The FBI is actively investigating public corruption in Puerto Rico and will continue to make such cases a priority, the federal agency’s new chief in the U.S. Caribbean territories said Monday.
“I can’t go into specific details about the investigations or who is under investigation,” Special Agent in Charge Carlos Cases said. “What I can say is that we are investigating public corruption at all levels.”
Cases’ comments came during a press conference at FBI headquarters in San Juan where he outlined his agenda as head of the agency in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“I have established public corruption and violent crimes as the investigative priorities of our office,” he said.
Cases, a 21-year FBI veteran, was named last week to oversee FBI operations in both U.S. territories, becoming the third Puerto Rican to hold the post after Héctor Pesquera (the current Puerto Rico police chief) and Luis Fraticelli.
“I am concerned by all types of corruption,” he said. “As public officials, the people put their trust in us. If public servants don’t do things the right way, how can we expect the public to do so?”
Cases, born and raised in Puerto Rico, previously was director for Latin America and the southwest border for the FBI’s criminal investigations division in Washington, D.C.
He also has worked at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and at the federal agency’s office in San Juan, where he was honored for his participation in one of the bureau’s largest public corruption cases that targeted local law enforcement officials.
Cases began his career as a special agent with the FBI in May 1992. He first reported to the El Paso Division, where he investigated violent crime, organized crime, and drug matters. In 1994, he transferred to the San Juan Division and continued to work organized crime and drug cases.
In 2001, Cases was promoted to supervisory special agent in the drug section of the Criminal Investigative Division and detailed to DEA Headquarters. He then transferred to the San Juan Division in 2002 as the supervisory special agent of a Criminal Enterprise squad. While there, he served as a coordinator for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Crisis Negotiation, and SWAT. He was then promoted to program manager in 2005 and assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to coordinate drug and gang investigations.
In 2007, Cases returned to the San Juan Division as the supervisory special agent of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and, in 2009, was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch. While there, he received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation and the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement for his role in Operation Guard Shack, one of the largest public corruption cases in FBI history.
 
 
 

Puerto Rico Law Enforcement and Police News



via puerto rico fbi - Google Blog Search by unknown on 2/11/13
SAN JUAN – The FBI's new Special Agent in Charge for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands said Monday that his office is investigating cases of public corruption on this Caribbean island. Carlos Cases, whose appointment was announced ...


via puerto rico fbi - Google Blog Search by Agencia EFE on 2/11/13
San Juan – El nuevo jefe de la Oficina Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés) para Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes, Carlos Cases, informó hoy que la agencia estadounidense investiga casos de corrupción ...


via puerto rico fbi - Google Blog Search by unknown on 2/11/13
El nuevo jefe en Puerto Rico del Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), Carlos Cases, confirmó hoy que la agencia conduce varias investigaciones de corrupción pública “a todos los niveles”.







Latin American Herald Tribune




FBI Investigating Public Corruption in Puerto Rico
Latin American Herald Tribune
Cases was decorated for his role in 2010 in Operation Guard Shack, which led to the arrest of 89 Puerto Rico police officers and prison guards. A veteran of 21 years with the FBI, Cases is the third native Puerto Rican to head the San Juan office. EFE ...

and more »


 


Desaparecidas dos madres adolescentes y sus bebés en Vega Alta y Arroyo http://ow.ly/hAnQ1
Desaparecidas dos madres adolescentes y sus bebés en Vega Alta y Arroyo http://ow.ly/hAnQ1
Like · · · about a minute ago ·




NACLA (blog)











The Drug Trade and the Increasing Militarization of the Caribbean
NACLA (blog)
It has been revealed that the drones will be operating out of bases in Corpus Christi, Texas, Cocoa Beach, Florida and potentially the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The shift towards the use ... Information has emerged which reveals that a U.S ...



Washington Post











4 Puerto Rico policemen suspended amid evidence-planting probe
Washington Post
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's police chief has suspended four officers suspected of planting a gun in a man's car and charging him with possession of an illegal weapon. Hector Pesquera says his department is investigating the case after he ...

and more »


El Departamanto de Justicia de Estados Unidos y el gobierno de Puerto Rico tendrán hasta el 15 de febrero

Orden de juez federal expresa serias reservas sobre la capacidad económica del Gobierno de Puerto Rico para implementar las mejoras requeridas

"Puerto Rico Law Enforcement and Police News" bundle created by Mike Nova

 
 
A bundle is a collection of blogs and websites hand-selected by your friend on a particular topic or interest. You can keep up to date with them all in one place by subscribing in Google Reader.
There are

















8 feeds
included in this bundle
  • puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search
  • puerto rico police corruption - Google Blog Search
  • puerto rico police department - Google Blog Search
  • puerto rico law enforcement - Google News
  • puerto rico police - Google News
  • puerto rico police corruption - Google News
  • puerto rico police department - Google News
  • puerto rico police - Google Blog Search
 
 

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico A former police commissioner for Puerto Rico's capital has pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography in a plea agreement with U.S. authorities.

Ex-Puerto Rico police pleads guilty in porn case. A former police commissioner for Puerto Rico's capital has pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography in a plea agreement with U.S. authorities. The Associated Press ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by The Huffington Post News Editors on 12/22/12
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. Justice Department and Puerto Rico's government signed an agreement Friday to reform the island's police department, which has long been accused of corruption, illegal killings and civil ...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's police chief has suspended four officers suspected of planting a gun in a man's car and charging him with possession of an illegal weapon. Hector Pesquera says his department ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by webmaster@ice.gov (ICE) on 2/4/13
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The former commissioner of the San Juan Police Department pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gustavo Gelpi. U.S. Immigration and Customs ...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Rico police say forensic evidence has cleared two men suspected in the killing of popular boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho. Police spokesman Alex Diaz told The Associated Press on ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by webmaster@ice.gov (ICE) on 2/1/13
The HSI investigation stemmed from a Puerto Rico Police Department referral Oct. 15, 2012, alerting HSI that White-Ayala had committed a sexual aggression against a 14-year-old. White-Ayala had his initial hearing before ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by hadeninteractive on 1/4/13
Puerto Rico's police force is the second largest in U.S. states and territories, second in size only to that of New York City. The Puerto Rican police force includes more than 17,000 officers. Puerto Rico has a high level of violent ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by Patrick Sharkey on 11/8/12
Puerto Rico Police Department Superintendent Hector Pesquera has sadly announced that one of his officers was shot and killed during a store robbery in Toa Baja. Agent Ivan Roman, age 34, and his partner responded to a ...

via puerto rico law enforcement - Google Blog Search by webmaster@ice.gov (ICE) on 8/6/12
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working jointly with the Puerto Rico Police Department and other members of the Caribbean Corridor ...


Washington Post



















Puerto Rico police clear 2 suspects in Macho Camacho's death
Washington Post
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico police say forensic evidence has cleared two men suspected in the killing of popular boxer Hector “Macho” Camacho. Police spokesman Alex Diaz told The Associated Press on Wednesday that evidence also showed ...
Forensic Evidence Clears 2 Men in Death of Hector CamachoBleacher Report

all 5 news articles »





















4 Puerto Rico policemen suspended amid probe
Charlotte Observer
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico's police chief has suspended four officers suspected of planting a gun in a man's car and charging him with possession of an illegal weapon. Hector Pesquera says his department is investigating the case after he ...

and more »





















Ex-Puerto Rico Police Pleads Guilty in Porn Case
ABC News
A former police commissioner for Puerto Rico's capital has pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography in a plea agreement with U.S. authorities. Hilton Cordero Rosario is expected to serve 10 years in prison as a result of Friday's plea. His ...

and more »





















Former San Juan Police Department commissioner pleads guilty to possession ...
PoliticalNews.me (press release)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The former commissioner of the San Juan Police Department pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gustavo Gelpi. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland ...

and more »





















A Death Penalty Case in Puerto Rico
New York Times
Lawyers familiar with the case say the United States attorney's office in Puerto Rico asked Mr. Holder to seek a life sentence without parole because there is no clear proof Mr. Casey knew the victim was a law enforcement officer. Mr. Holder, however ...























New FBI Director in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
ABC News
Cases also has worked at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and at an FBI office in Puerto Rico, where he was honored for his participation in one of the bureau's largest public corruption cases that targeted local law enforcement officials. Cases said ...
FBI Names New Special Agent in Charge of Puerto Rico Officeticklethewire.com

all 3 news articles »





















Coalition Analyzes Mass Shootings as Chicago's Homicides Soar
Patch.com
Chicago currently has some of the strictest gun laws on the books, according to the Huffinton Post, but police data reported by the New York Times shows that more than 15,000 of the police-traced guns came from just outside the city limits as well as ...

and more »





















Honduras tops U.S. in Cup qualifying
San Francisco Chronicle
Jurisprudence: Puerto Rico police say forensic evidence has cleared two men suspected in the Nov. 20 killing of boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho. Sports and drugs: Dallas company SCA Promotions says it will sue Lance Armstrong to recover more than $12 ...

and more »





















All Share Services
Salon
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico police say forensic evidence has cleared two men suspected in the killing of popular boxer Hector “Macho” Camacho. Police spokesman Alex Diaz told The Associated Press on Wednesday that evidence also ...























Dubious distinctions: RGV ranks high in cocaine seizures, immigrant ...
Valley morning Star
More than half of apprehensions here — or 49,939 out of 97,762 total — were people from places other than Mexico, known in law enforcement jargon as “OTMs.” These people were mostly Honduran, Guatemalan and Salvadoran citizens, according to WOLA ...

and more »



_______________________________________________




ACLU REPORT SAYS 1700 PUERTO RICAN POLICE OFFICERS ARE CRIMINALS


Published on Jul 8, 2012
CNN uploaded a video on it TODAY, making it a current event as far as we're concerned. The nonexistent antecedent of "this story" in the previous sentence being, "Puerto Rico's police force is super corrupt."
The American Civil Liberties Union released a report on the Puerto Rican police, which is the second-largest police force in the United States (obviously including territories here), on June 19, and it ain't pretty. While attention on police misbehavior in ACTUAL states has increased thanks to the string of abuses associated with Occupy Movement protests, those incidents don't hold a candle to the sorts of horrors contained in the ACLU report.
Did I read the entire paper? No, dummy, it's 182 pages long, but you can download it and knock yourself out if you want. The section headers alone, though, are enough to make you cancel your cruise to San Juan. They are: III. Shooting to Kill: Unjustified Use of Lethal Force IV. Police Brutality against Low-Income, Black, and Dominican Communities V. Billy Clubs versus Speech: Excessive Force against Protesters to Suppress Speech and Expression VI. Documented Cases of Police Abuse against Protesters VII. Failure to Police Crimes of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault VIII. Total Impunity: Failure to Investigate or Punish Police Brutality IX. A Lawless Police Force: Lack of Guidance Governing the Use of Force, X. Relevant Constitutional and Human Rights Law.

Well then. Even if you remove some of the florid rhetoric, the ACLU report doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture of Puerto Rico's police. Between 2005 and 2010, 1,700 of the island's 17,000-member force were arrested for various crimes ranging from domestic abuse to murder. It's worth remembering that police despise disciplining their own, so I can only imagine what those who DON'T get arrested are doing with their time.
But why should we care? After all, Puerto Rico isn't even a state, and the last time I checked, they don't speak Anglish down there. CNN, can you help us out?
Yes, CNN will help. The reporters in the video below repeatedly remind us that the nearly 4 million people who reside in Puerto Rico are in fact UNITED STATES CITIZENS. Who knew? It's not like this is happening in a foreign country, as correspondent Nick Valencia points out. This is OUR country. If Puerto Rico were a foreign country we could send in a drone strike and not have to worry about it, but here in AMERICA, this shit won't fly.
Watch the video, please. It begins with the lead, "Well, if you don't follow what's going on in Puerto Rico, here is one reason why you should." Thanks, CNN!
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit with the feds and is calling for swift action from the US and Puerto Rican governments. Things don't usually work out too well when America tries to impose its will on brown people who don't speak English, but remember: THESE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT - 7 JUL 12.


1,700 Cops arrested in Puerto Rico !
 
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Read the New York Times article in the link below. Be sure to pay extra attention to paragraphs 3, 4 and 5. I urge all police officers to ask yourselves if you really believe Raymond Kelly and Michael Bloomberg are going to defend you when the FBI comes to arrest you for Constitutional rights violations and discrimination.

They indirectly force you to violate certain people's rights to meet performance goals and then act like they never knew you had to break the law to meet your monthly arrest and ticket quotas.

NYPD hero and Whistle blower Adil Polanco stays home with his family everyday and collects close to $90,000 a year for doing the right thing and exposing police department corruption and so can you. You can either expose corruption now within the NYPD or share the same fate as the 1,700 police officers in Puerto Rico that thought they were untouchable but are now behind bars.

New York Times article : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/us/...


FBI ARREST CORRUPT POLICE OFFICERS IN PUERTO RICO
 
Uploaded on Oct 7, 2010
100+ POLICE OFFICERS AND GOVERMENT WORKERS ARRESTED IN PUERTO RICO BY FBI, HISTORIC ARREST


Police Brutality Against Journalists in Puerto Rico

Uploaded on Sep 8, 2011
Puerto RIco's Fortuno Administration is undermining freedom of the press by allowing the Police to target journalist for violence.
The Justice Department has accused Puerto Rico Police of brutality, abuse and corruption.
To take action, go to:
http://www.aclu.org/puertoricoaction



NPR






































'Don't Give Up On Us': Puerto Ricans Wrestle With High Crime
NPR
Puerto Rico's population is declining. Faced with a deteriorating economy, increased poverty and a swelling crime rate, many Puerto Ricans are fleeing the island for the U.S. mainland. In a four-part series, Morning Edition explores this phenomenon ...
4 Puerto Rico policemen suspended amid evidence-planting probeWashington Post
Puerto Rico Climbs Most in Year as Redemptions Rise: Muni CreditBloomberg
Puerto Rican Lawmaker Says Airport Lease Will be Bad for IslandHispanically Speaking News
Worcester Telegram -Newstrack India
all 9 news articles »


via Caribbean Business on 2/6/13

NPR takes a look at those who stay

National Public Radio is continuing to spotlight Puerto Rico’s falling populatio ...


'Don't Give Up On Us': Puerto Ricans Wrestle With High Crime

Listen to this story


Luis Romero looks out over the ocean to a view that includes the Coast Guard station where his son, Julian, was in the auxiliary. Romero started the anti-violence organization Basta Ya after Julian was murdered. (NPR)
Puerto Rico's population is declining. Faced with a deteriorating economy, increased poverty and a swelling crime rate, many Puerto Ricans are fleeing the island for the U.S. mainland. In a four-part series, Morning Edition explores this phenomenon, and how Puerto Rico's troubles are affecting its people and other Americans in unexpected ways.
Daysi Pena was selling cosmetics and accessories at the Rio Piedras market in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when she spotted two men getting out of a car. They ran into the jewelry store across from her stall, ran out again and began firing guns.
The incident was the last straw for Pena, who had worked at the market for 12 years.
"I'm moving to the United States with my daughter," she said, referring to the mainland.
Puerto Rico's per capita murder rate is six times that of the U.S. as a whole. And with violence escalating, many residents are considering joining the thousands of others who have already fled the island for brighter and safer opportunities.
The island's police superintendent, Hector Pesquera, says tackling the crime problem has been a challenge. Before he ran the police force, which is responsible for the entire island of more than 3.5 million people, Pesquera spent years leading the FBI bureau in Miami.
The picture wasn't pretty when he returned to Puerto Rico. He came home to a fleet of police cars in despair, aging equipment and officers arrested for corruption. Drug cartels, he says, were also moving their businesses to the island from Mexico.
"Plus, unfortunately, we broke the all-time record for murders [in 2011]," he says. "We had 1,136, I believe."
It's a record that Pesquera and his team are trying to combat.
"We had 186, 187 less murders, so we're slowly making a dent," he says.
America's Role
Pesquera says political muscle is needed to make the case to Washington, D.C., that solving the drug and crime problems here will help people on the mainland.
In many ways, Puerto Rico is America's third border, Pesquera says. Drugs that enter from Latin America can head right to the mainland without going through customs. According to Pesquera, 80 percent of the drugs that come through the island end up in cities and communities on the East Coast.
"Help us. Because if you help us, we're going to help the United States," he says. "Is it that hard?"
Puerto Rico's resident commissioner, or nonvoting member of Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, says the Department of Homeland Security will soon begin an intensive effort to curb drug violence. DHS would only confirm that it has expanded anti-drug operations in Puerto Rico and continues to deploy personnel there.
But police superintendent Pesquera says he's still not convinced that people on the mainland are paying enough attention to how dire the circumstances are in Puerto Rico.
"Out of sight, out of mind," he says. "I was watching the national news and they were highlighting Oakland [Calif.] and the major crime wave there — 114 murders. We blow that in a month here. You see any uproar? Nothing."
Pesquera says he knows the island will get the help it needs at some point. "It's just when," he says. "When's the breaking point?"
Beating The Culture Of Crime
In an area called Old San Juan — a touristy spot in the capital — cobblestone streets and trendy cafes paint a paradise that's described in all the tour books. But Luis Romero says there's more to the scene than visitors may notice.
"Below the obvious, incredible beauty lies a very sad situation of high crime," says Romero, who was born in the neighborhood.
Romero was pulled into the war on crime when his son was killed almost two years ago on his son's birthday. After a night of celebration, his son was on a walk with his girlfriend in a well-lit area when a 14-year-old stole his cellphone.
"He gives the iPhone, gives the money, but the guy decides to attack his girlfriend and stabs her twice. My son jumps in to defend her, and he died a hero. He got knifed three times. The kid is serving now 30 years in jail," Romero says. "My son is dead."
Romero started an anti-crime organization called Basta Ya ("that's enough" in Spanish). He says his son, who was a criminal justice student, advocated for unity and an end to the culture of crime.
Violent crime and drugs have long been issues on the island, but many Puerto Ricans say they used to feel safe as long as they weren't involved in the drug war. Now, crime feels more widespread, Romero says, affecting the poor and rich alike.
"This is no way to live, that you have to be looking to the right and looking to the left to make sure that nothing is going to happen to you," he says. "You are sitting at home and you hear the 'ratt-tatt-tatt-tatt-tatt' of the machine guns going on. Why do we have to live through that?"
Romero, who has family who have already left, says he used to have conversations with his son about whether they too should leave.
"Sometimes, you know, as a father, I feel torn," he says. "If I had moved, he wouldn't have been killed. Maybe or maybe not."
When asked what he wants people on the U.S. mainland to know about Puerto Rico, Romero says, "Well, the people of Puerto Rico are very warm, very welcoming. You can enjoy Puerto Rico, the natural beauty, the opportunities.
"But as fellow American citizens," he says, "don't give up on us. We may need some help now, but don't give up on us."

photo

héctor pesquera - GS 

____________________________________________________



US, Puerto Rico Sign Agreement On Reforming Police


       
By DANICA COTO 12/21/12 06:14 PM ET EST AP
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. Justice Department and Puerto Rico's government signed an agreement Friday to reform the island's police department, which has long been accused of corruption, illegal killings and civil rights violations.
The agreement resolved a lawsuit that U.S. authorities also filed Friday, more than a year after federal prosecutors issued a scathing report on the U.S. territory's police department, which is the second-largest force in the U.S. with more than 17,000 officers.
"The challenges that we identified in the report were many years in the making," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said in a phone interview. "Solving the problem is going to take many years. I think it can get done, but it's hard work."
Gov. Luis Fortuno said the agreement will make for a safer Puerto Rico, an island of 4 million people that reported a record 1,117 homicides last year.
"Today we establish the cornerstones for a fresh start with Puerto Rico's police," he said. "There is still a lot of work to be done, but we have begun a far-reaching reform that the police department needed decades ago."
Fortuno said both parties have asked that a judge temporarily suspend proceedings until April to give the island's incoming government time to evaluate and possibly modify the agreement if needed.
The lawsuit accused police of discrimination, using excessive force and conducting unlawful searches and seizures.
"As a result of these acts, hundreds of residents of Puerto Rico suffer serious or fatal injuries, are subjected to traumatic and unjustified searches and seizures of their persons, homes, and automobiles, and are discouraged from engaging in free speech acts," the lawsuit stated.
It noted Puerto Ricans filed more than 1,500 complaints against police officers for unjustified or excessive force from 2004 to 2008.
Authorities also arrested more than 1,700 police officers on charges including murder, rape, drug trafficking, assault and theft from January 2005 to November 2010.
"This conduct is ongoing," the lawsuit said.
It said police officers work without supervision or effective policy guidance, adding that supervisors are often directly involved in illegal activities. Federal prosecutors said the department's has no system to deal with officers accused of improper or unlawful conduct.
The lawsuit highlighted the case of Miguel Caceres, an unarmed man who was shot at least three times, once in the head, by police in a 2007 killing captured on video.
Other cases noted included one in which a police officer was accused of abandoning a suspect behind a shopping mall after beating him unconscious and another in which a group of plainclothes officers beat a suspect and dragged him face down on the pavement.
The 106-page agreement calls on the police department to evaluate how it uses its resources and officers, to revise many of its policies and procedures and provide better training for officers.
The department also is expected to create a merit-based promotion system, using written exams as part of a selection process through the rank of captain, and to prohibit specialized tactical units from doing general patrol and police work.
The agreement also orders the department to create a system to collect information on every police officer, including all complaints, killings and uses of force.
Once a judge approves the agreement, a monitor is expected to file an evaluation on the department every six months for the first three years. In five years, the monitor will evaluate the police department to see whether any changes have taken place, and whether the agreement should be modified.
Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, welcomed Friday's announcement, saying it was long-awaited.
"We're very pleased that the Justice Department has taken concrete action to end the unconscionable abuse Puerto Ricans have suffered at the hands of their own police force," he said. "For years the Puerto Rico Police Department has resisted reform. This agreement provides a roadmap for long-overdue reforms."


_____________________________________________________


UN GIRO RADICAL AL SISTEMA DE JUSTICIA

En medio de una crisis de seguridad, y con las peores cifras en el esclarecimiento y procesamiento criminales, todos los componentes del sistema de justicia -Policía, tribunales y Departamento de Justicia- deben dar un giro radical en su funcionamiento para lograr un clima de garantías que reemplace el clima prevaleciente de impunidad.
 

February 7, 2013

A radical turn to the justice system
In the midst of a security crisis, and the worst figures in the investigation and criminal prosecution, all components of the justice system-police, courts and Justice Department-must make a radical shift in its operation to achieve a climate of security to replace the prevailing climate of impunity.
And the sense of impunity that has demoralized and frightened society is based on poor record in solving crimes and in the low level of pay punitive perpetrators given in the three areas of criminal justice.
If we consider, first, the Department of Justice, there is a drastic reduction in the productivity of agency staff, which translates into reductions of more than 20 percent in the filing of serious criminal cases, and 30 in the least serious.
In other words, although we feel firsthand the increasing crime wave, which in 2011 reached record figures, with 1.136 violent deaths, and not declined much in 2012, are fewer cases reach the courts and resolved to the satisfaction of the public, sometimes for incompetence in presenting and other incriminating evidence, for unexplained lenient sentences or unexplained transactions that effectively deny the obvious punishment enough criminals returning to the streets.
Clearly, the key to the problem is budget cuts, which, over a period of five years, have forced Justice to work with $ 106 million less, which is one of the points that are to be valued.
To this must be added the decline in the quality of work of the police, resulting, among other reasons, the incentive plan straight early withdrawals of Law 7, which allowed officers with 15 years of service to retire with half pay. Result: 2,111 policemen accepted the agreement, 10% of the force, and had to replace those who are retiring and hiring new staff, with much less experience, because these vacancies could not be frozen, as was the original purpose for being essential public service, generating, in many cases, a dual dispensing wages.
A drain that has been combined with a persistent reduction in the budget, for example, in the investigative branch of the police, in 2010-2011 lost $ 26 million compared to previous years.
And although the budget factor is of great caliber, is palpable that for lack of a real counterweight administrative ethics and integrity, the scales of justice in Puerto Rico is inclined side while impunity, something to be overcome by adopting measures urgent, and redefining the responsibilities of each body dedicated to the fight against crime.
To achieve this downsizing, it is essential to provide each agency fiscally budget rationally required to meet its mission with guarantees.
Second, it is imperative to place the fight against crime at the heart of all the accomplishments of law and order, giving priority to fight, first street and then in court, criminal activity.
And third, but no less important, the three estates constituting justice, Department of Justice, Police and courts are obliged peremptorily put its house in order, not only as to regain his philosophical view, but in terms of administration resources, redirect their operation and become a coordinated network that aims to simplify and maximize the efficiency of their procedures.
It's time to make sense of the justice system, and refocus with inescapable maturity transformation.



WGBH NEWS





































One-Way Tickets To Florida: Puerto Ricans Escape Island Woes
WGBH NEWS
For years, they've been migrating out of the U.S. Caribbean territory — many to escape the escalating crime rate and economic crisis. Today, Florida replaces New York as the primary destination for Puerto Ricans coming to the U.S. In Osceola County ...

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Justice Dept. and Puerto Rico Agree to Overhaul the Island’s Troubled Police Force




























































Ricardo Arduengo/Associated Press
Police officers detained student protesters at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan in 2011



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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the government of Puerto Rico agreed Friday to sweeping changes to the commonwealth’s large and troubled Police Department intended to help overcome a history of discrimination, violence and corruption.

In a 102-page consent decree filed to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit, Justice Department officials and the departing governor of Puerto Rico, Luis G. Fortuño, agreed to far-reaching changes in the way the 17,000-member force recruits, trains, promotes and oversees its officers. This includes strict new policies on the use of force, police interactions with gay and transgender Puerto Ricans, the department’s approach to domestic violence and its handling of civilian complaints. The agreement also reins in the department’s special tactical units, which have drawn much criticism over the years.
Both sides agreed to delay putting the changes in place for several months to give the administration of the incoming governor, Alejandro García Padilla, an opportunity to review and adopt it — or propose changes. The subject is also subject to judicial approval.
“The successful implementation of the reforms contained in this agreement will help to reduce crime, ensure respect for the Constitution and restore public confidence” in the Puerto Rico Police Department, said Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general for civil rights.
The agreement follows a 116-page report the Civil Rights Division issued last year accusing the Police Department of systematically “using force, including deadly force, when no force or lesser force was called for,” unnecessarily injuring hundreds of people and killing “numerous others.”
Critics of the Police Department have long complained that the force is largely corrupt, often inefficient and sometimes ruthless. This year, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote its own report on the department, highlighting widespread abuses and violations of civil rights, especially against poor people, black Puerto Ricans and Dominican immigrants.
“These abuses do not represent isolated incidents or aberrant behavior by a few rogue officers,” the report stated. “Such police brutality is pervasive and systemic, island-wide and ongoing.”
At the same time, murder is rampant on the island. Residents largely blame the police for failing to stem the killings. In 2011, Puerto Rico broke its own record, with 1,135 homicides, a rate of 30 killings per 100,000 residents.
The Justice Department report last year portrayed a police department riddled with problems. Officers routinely conducted illegal searches and seizures without warrants, attacked nonviolent protesters and journalists and discriminated against Dominicans, gays and transgender people. The department also failed to adequately handle sex assault and domestic violence cases, including spousal abuse by fellow officers.
Governor Fortuño said Friday that nothing was more important than the safety and quality of life of Puerto Ricans. The agreement, he said, establishes a clear path toward strengthening the Police Department.
“There remains a lot of ground to cover, but we have initiated a broad reform of the police that has been necessary for decades,” said Mr. Fortuño, who lost his re-election bid in November.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, under Mr. Perez, has threatened lawsuits and pushed through a series of consent decrees to overhaul troubled police departments, including a broad one with the City of New Orleans this year. The Puerto Rico agreement appears to go further.
Among other things, Puerto Rico has agreed to expel officers from heavily armed “special tactical units” who have a pattern of misbehavior and to end the practice of using them to perform ordinary police work and routine patrols, a practice linked to complaints of police brutality.
The earlier report said the units frequently relied on “intimidation, fear and extreme use of force.”
One example it cited was the killing of Cáceres Cruz in August 2007 by a tactical unit officer. Mr. Cruz was directing traffic when three officers, driving by, thought he had insulted them. They told Mr. Cruz he was under arrest and wrestled him to the ground. An officer accidentally shot himself in the leg. He then repeatedly shot Mr. Cruz, who was lying on the ground, in the head and body before leaving the scene.
An internal investigation cleared the officers of misconduct. But after a video of the confrontation surfaced in the news media, one officer was convicted of murder. It emerged that seven complaints had been filed against him, but had been largely ignored.
The agreement also called for new controls on stops, searches, and arrests, including a requirement that the department record the reason for the stop and the subject’s ethnicity.
Because of a stream of complaints involving prisoner abuse, supervisors at precincts and stations will have to “visually inspect each detainee or arrestee for injury” and interview them about any complaints of pain. A specific policy will be instituted for how the police should interact with gay and transgender people.
And to avoid the clashes seen in recent years between demonstrators and the police, crowd control rules must be improved and closely followed.
The report also tackles the longstanding problem of domestic violence and sexual assault on the island. The police will have to conduct more thorough investigations of these crimes, set up a 24-hour hot line and track the disposition of sexual assault cases.

Charlie Savage reported from Washington, and Lizette Alvarez from Miami.