A Force to be Reckoned With

The U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) lambasted the Puerto Rican Police Department in a report released last Thursday condemning it of civil rights violations, corruption, and other "illegal activities." The findings confirm what many have long known about most police officers on the island. In fact, the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU), along with other organizations, have long called for the U.S Congress to look into the abuses committed by the island's police force. Instances where the police have been accused of using excessive force have occurred on a countless number of occasions, most notably during the University of Puerto Rico student demonstrations. The report also stated that the PRPD, which is comprised of over 17,000 officers, has consistently failed to investigate domestic violence cases, and many police officers have been found to discriminate island residents of Dominican descent.

As expected, Police Chief Emilio Díaz Colón has come out in defense of his underlings. During a press conference, he stated that "not one single police officer has come to commit civil rights violations." Furthermore, he contends that the police force will continue to do its job with dignity and respect." He did concede that the PRPD will have to implement "some" changes, and will have to provide its officers with the necessary training as suggested in the DOJ's report, which put forth 133 recommendations. Nevertheless, specific details on how the island's police force will be transformed were not provided by the Police Chief. To his credit, the PRPD suffers from a severe shortage of funding, which raises questions as to how it will be reformed.

Meanwhile, Gov. Fortuño has stated that his administration has sent a proposal, back in March, specifying how 110 of the 133 recommendations listed on the DOJ's report will be put into place. As there seems to be no end in sight to the island's crime wave, the homicide rate is 22.5 per 100,000 residents (it is nearly double that of Louisiana's, which has the U.S' highest rate), most have long had little or no confidence in the PRPD's ability to keep the streets safe. By the same token, little trust is bestowed upon other local government agencies, i.e Department of Education, the Department of Family, among others. This latest blow from federal authorities will hopefully bring about some substantive changes in the PRPD, but nobody is holding their breath. According to Gov. Fortuño, it can take as long as 15 years for the reform process to come full circle.

(Photo credit: Ricardo Arduengo/Associated Press)

Rifles, Whiskey and Amputations

Photos of smiling men and women in medical scrubs, some with rifles and others with an alcoholic beverage, were published on the Facebook page of the Puerto Rican Senate. One of the photos even showed a doctor holding a saw, as seen above, as he was about to perform an amputation. These images appeared under the album title "Salvemos Haití" (translation: "Let's Save Haiti"), and they were taken in Jimaní, a town in the Dominican Republic bordering Haiti. The people posing on these photos were doctors and nurses hired by the Puerto Rican government to help provide medical assistance to earthquake-stricken Haiti. Described as "indignantes" (indignant), "insensibles" (insensitive) and "explícitas" (explicit), the publication of these photos has created a tremendous amount of controversy throughout the world.

When I saw the headline: "Haití: Polémica fotos de puertoriqueños" ("Haiti: Controversial Photos of Puerto Ricans") on the BBC Mundo website, I knew this was a huge mess. My initial reaction was, ok, maybe these photos have been photoshoped and it's just some sort of hoax. I suppose this was wishful thinking. It's just unconscionable how anyone, least of all medical personnel, can take these photos. Worst of all, they even uploaded them onto Facebook. Obviously, what these people did showed a lack of better judgement and stupidity. Puerto Rican government officials are reportedly looking into this matter, some are calling for the suspension of the medical licenses of these doctors and nurses. The Dominican military was said to have detained the soldiers whom allowed their weapons to be used as props in these photos. Despite this huge controversy, let's bear in mind of the many other Puerto Rican doctors and nurses who did not partake in such photo sessions, and have truly been helping the victims of this tragic earthquake.

Update (3/29/10): According to the local medical licensing and disciplinary board on the island, the photos were "taken out of context." Thus, the doctors and medical personnel who appeared in these photos will not face any punishment. Here's the article in the local paper (in Spanish) over this decision, "No hay sanciones para los médicos boricuas."

(Image obtained from BBC Mundo)