Agreement Is Reached on Police Reforms in Puerto Rico
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
The government of Puerto Rico and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division on Wednesday formalized a sweeping agreement meant to overcome a history of discrimination, violence and corruption in the commonwealth’s Police Department. The agreement is the result of a long investigation by the Justice Department and a consent decree announced in December to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. Its implementation was delayed to give the new governor, Alejandro García Padilla, time to review it and it is subject to approval by Judge Gustavo Gelpi of Federal District Court. Among other things, it will require the Police Department to implement new policies on the use of force and specialized tactical units, domestic violence, interactions with transgender people, crowd control, police training and promotions.
17 de julio de 2013
4:51 p.m.
US, Puerto Rico Sign Deal to Reform Police Agency
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder pledged $10 million on Wednesday to the Puerto Rican government as it finalized a deal to reform the U.S. territory's police agency, which has long been accused of illegal killings, corruption and civil rights violations.
The announcement ended two years of negotiations to transform the department. It is the second-largest force in the U.S. with more than 17,000 officers.
Puerto Rico has 10 years to implement all the changes, Holder said.
"Although I recognize that complete and lasting reform will not take hold overnight, I'm confident that this agreement lays out a clear path for responding to concerns, correcting troubling practices, safeguarding the rights of Puerto Rican citizens, restoring public trust, and ensuring public safety," he said.
The 100-page agreement calls on the police department to build public confidence, establish new disciplinary procedures and create a use-of-force policy. It also demands additional training for officers before they're assigned to the streets, and for a supervisor to be present when suspects resist arrest, among numerous other changes.
U.S. and local officials had signed the deal in December, but Puerto Rico's government requested more time to modify the agreement.
Some changes were made given the economic realities of Puerto Rico, said Justice Secretary Luis Sanchez Betances. The island of 3.7 million people is struggling to emerge from a seven-year recession.
Sanchez said an estimated initial investment of $60 million to $80 million will be needed for changes in the first two years.
He said that U.S. and Puerto Rico officials have 90 days to choose an independent adviser to oversee the changes and if no agreement is reached, a federal judge will appoint someone.
Puerto Rico Police Chief Hector Pesquera said the department is committed to making all the changes.
Acting Associate Attorney Tony West said that on Thursday he will discuss the agreement with high-ranking police officials. He stressed that community leaders will be essential in helping reform the agency.
The call for reform came after a September 2011 federal report in which prosecutors condemned the police for what it said was numerous constitutional violations.
"Officers have unnecessarily injured hundreds of people and killed numerous others," the report said. "The amount of crime and corruption involving ... officers further illustrates that the Puerto Rico police department is in profound disrepair."
Shortly afterward, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit noting that authorities had arrested more than 1,700 officers on charges including murder, rape and drug trafficking from January 2005 to November 2010.
Puerto Rico residents also filed more than 1,500 complaints against officers for unjustified or excessive force from 2004 to 2008.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed its own lawsuit accusing the police department of excessive force and civil rights violations. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the organization is close to reaching an agreement with the police agency to drop the legal action if the U.S. requirements are followed.
"We trust that this historic settlement means that Puerto Ricans will no longer have to live in fear of their own police force," Romero said.
ACLU: “Esperamos que los puertorriqueños no tengan que temer más a su Policía”
Elogia el acuerdo que permitirá dejar en suspenso la demanda federal
POR ELNUEVODIA.COM
WASHINGTON – La Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) expresó su esperanza de que con el acuerdo que regulará la demanda del gobierno federal contra la Policía de Puerto Rico “los puertorriqueños no tengan que temer más” a su propio departamento policial.
“Estamos muy contentos de que finalmente, el gobierno de Puerto Rico trabajará con el Departamento de Justicia para ponerle fin al rampante abuso policial que ha plagado a la isla por tantos años”, indicó hoy el puertorriqueño Anthony Romero, director ejecutivo y principal funcionario de la ACLU, con oficina principal en Nueva York.
Tras meses de negociaciones, el Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos firmó este miércoles un acuerdo con el Gobierno de Puerto Rico para impulsar la reforma en la Policía local, en aras de establecer mayores controles en ese cuerpo de seguridad pública, profesionalizar a sus integrantes y procurar que se garanticen los derechos civiles de las personas.
Romero sostuvo que la ACLU y el bufete de abogados Kirkland & Ellis, que sometieron su propia demanda que denunció a la Policía por violarle sistemáticamente los derechos civiles a los residentes de Puerto Rico, están cerca de llegar a una transacción que eche a un lado la otra batalla judicial.
El acuerdo de transacción se basaría en gran medida en las promesas que hace el gobierno de Puerto Rico en el decreto de consentimiento suscrito hoy en San Juan por el secretario de Justicia de Estados Unidos, Eric Holder, y el gobernador Alejandro García Padilla.
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Agreement announced to reform Puerto Rico's police force
July 18, 2013 -- Updated 0010 GMT (0810 HKT)
A statue of Juan Ponce de Leon sits in front of the second oldest church in the world in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A statue of Juan Ponce de Leon sits in front of the second oldest church in the world in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: ACLU welcomes the agreement
- A federal judge still needs to approve the agreement
- Investigation found police used excessive force to suppress free speech
- It also cited unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests
(CNN) -- The Justice Department and Puerto Rico signed a major civil rights agreement Wednesday to reform the commonwealth's very troubled police force.
The pact faces final approval by a federal judge, who will oversee its enforcement.
An earlier Justice Department investigation found numerous problems in the Puerto Rico Police Department, the nation's second-largest, including:
-- Excessive use of force to suppress free speech.
-- Unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests.
-- A failure to investigate sexual assault and domestic violence allegations.
"Although I recognize that complete and lasting reform will not take hold overnight, I'm confident that this agreement lays out a clear path for responding to concerns, correcting troubling practices, safeguarding the rights of Puerto Rican citizens, restoring public trust, and ensuring public safety," Attorney General Eric Holder said in remarks prepared for a news conference.
According to the Justice Department, the agreement with Puerto Rico is among the most extensive agreements involving the police misconduct provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the agreement on an issue it highlighted more than a year ago.
"At long last, the government of Puerto Rico will work together with the Justice Department to end the rampant police abuse that has plagued the island for so many years," Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement. "We trust that this historic settlement means that Puerto Ricans will no longer have to live in fear of their own police force. A court-enforceable agreement like this ensures that the PRPD will be held accountable if it fails to overhaul its policies and practices."
An ACLU report in June 2012 disclosed evidence of widespread abuses and violations of civil rights by the 17,000-strong police department, saying the force "has run amok for years." The abuse was "pervasive and systemic, island-wide and ongoing," the report said.
The Justice Department announced in December that it reached a preliminary agreement with Puerto Rico. It delayed implementation to allow then-incoming Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla the time to review it and suggest possible changes.
Puerto Rico's police force serves almost 4 million residents.
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