People are talking about the National Police, and the need to reform it. District Attorney Francisco Brito Dominguez feels a new police force should be created, eradicating the military hierarchy within the force, and in their place creating inspectors and directors as department heads. The new police would be more community-oriented. Onofre Rojas, executive secretary of the Commission for the Reform and Modernization of the State, said that the purge, professionalizing and substantial improvement of the Police’s human resources cannot be accomplished in a short time. He explained there is a culture that needs to be changed, and this needs time. The government established a committee to modernize the police force, made up by the Chief of the Police, the District Attorney’s Office, the General Attorney, the Armed Forces, Dialogue House, and other institutions. Already, they have created the new Police Institute of Superior Education, that has been assisted by several international organizations. Aura Celeste Fernández, Commissioner for the Reform and Modernizing of the Judiciary, and one of the most respected women in the DR, concurs with Attorney General Cesar Pina Toribio that an in depth cleaning up is necessary with the police. The Police has admitted that 15 officers have been involved in cases of murder, assault, drug trafficking and others. She praised the work of present chief of the Police General Pedro de Jesus Candelier (he comes from the Armed Forces not the Police), and mentioned his efforts to confront police involvement in jail mafias. She mentioned he has had to confront inadequate behavior of the high and low ranks. She favors sending delinquent police to civil justice.
