The new chief of the Police, Major General Manuel Castro Castillo is highly regarded for his knowledge and professionalism. Since the change of government, there had been speculation that Castro Castillo would be appointed. At the time of his nomination, he was Police Regional Director for the East and was based in La Romana from where reports are that crime is on the decline. Previously, he was director of Internal Affairs of the Police (2008), and was a key officer in Police intelligence departments (2004).
Castro Castillo was born 16 October 1959 in Santo Domingo and began his career in the Police in 1981. He is a 1984 graduate from the Police Academy in Hatillo, San Cristobal. He is a specialist in criminal investigations, police intelligence and international drug trafficking intelligence. He is a founding member of the Center for Information and Joint Coordination (CICC) in 1985, and the National Drug Control Agency. He is also founder of the Program for Community Guidance (POC) for community actions and prevention of the use and abuse of drugs.
Castro has participated in the Police Executive Leadership Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Latin American Law Enforcement Executive Seminar at the US Department of Justice, and has taken courses in intelligence and organized crime with German security forces in Munich, Germany. He has also represented the Police at numerous conferences and workshops organized by the Center against Organized Crime (Cico), Interpol, CLACIP, United States Marshals Service, Government of Puerto Rico, Regional Center of Intelligence in the Caribbean (Caric), US DEA, US Department of State, ICITAD, IPES, among others. He has been a key member of commission that drafted the bill to reform and modernize the Police working with the Presidential Commission for the Reform and Modernization of the State.
He has held also posts in Puerto Plata, Nagua, Santo Domingo and Santiago.
On the Police website in his biographical page among a long series of recognitions, it was mentioned that he received a recognition from the Dominican Human Rights Commission for his work in favor of human rights.