Police In Puerto Rico Violate Constitution, Other Laws

The police in Puerto Rico engage in a pattern of behavior that not only violates the U.S. Constitution, but other federal laws, according to a new report from the Justice Department. This includes racial profiling of Dominicans. Overall, the DOJ characterized the police’s behavior as including: “excessive force; use of unreasonable force and other misconduct designed to suppress the exercise of protected First Amendment rights; and unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests.”

More from the DOJ:

In addition to these findings, the investigation uncovered other serious concerns. In particular, the investigation uncovered troubling evidence that PRPD frequently fails to properly investigate and document sex crimes and incidents of domestic violence, and that PRPD engages in discriminatory policing practices that target individuals of Dominican descent.   At this time, the division has not made a formal finding of a pattern and practice violation in these areas, in part because PRPD does not adequately collect data to evaluate these issues.

The Justice Department found a number of long-standing and entrenched systemic deficiencies that caused or contributed to these patterns of unlawful conduct, including:

• A failure of PRPD to implement policies to guide officers on lawful policing practices, including the application of force;
• Tactical units that have been permitted to develop violent subcultures;
• Insufficient pre-service and in-service training;
• Inadequate supervision;
• Ineffective systems of complaint intake, investigation and adjudication;
• An ineffective disciplinary system;
• Limited risk management; and
• A lack of external oversight and accountability.

But the DOJ doesn’t just write reports for nothing, the government expects the police in Puerto Rico to change. The Justice Department is set to obtain a court agreement to force the police to “develop and implement a comprehensive reform plan with the judicial oversight needed to address the violations of the Constitution and federal law.” Read the whole report here.