PolicecorruptionintheDominicanRepublic

KiaraAlcantara

Ms.Simon
AdvancedResearchMethods
January8th,2015


Alcantara1

"CorrupcinPolicial:AmenazaaLosDDHHEnRD."
CorrupcinPolicial:AmenazaaLos
DDHHEnRD
.ElNational,11Mar.2010.Web.26Feb.2015.
ThisarticlecomparescorruptionbythepoliceofficersintheDominicanRepublictothe
corruptionbypoliceofficersinothercountries.Therehasbeenalotofdeathsof
Haitianimmigrantsbydominicanpoliceofficersanditsbecomeahugeconcern.There
hasalsobeennumerousreportsofsexualabusetowardschildrenandtouristsin
areaswithalotofhotelbusinesses.Thisarticlewillhelpanswermyquestionbecause
itgivesmuchmoreexamplesofwhatthecorruptpolicemendo.

Lara,KoskiaM."PoliceCorruptionintheDominicanRepublic."Personalinterview.11Jan.
2015.
IhadtheopportunitytointerviewawomanwhogrewupintheDominicanRepublic.
Mymother,KoskiaLarawhomlivedintheDominicanRepublicuntilshewas31,now
49,simplyexplainedthereasoncorruptcopsdowhattheydo.Theyhavefamilies,
childrentofeedandtothepolicemen,themoneytheymakeisntenough.Ifitmeans
havingtogettheirhandsdirtythentheywill.Itisunderstandablethattheytrytohelp
theirfamiliesbutiftheyarehelpingthecriminalswhocouldcarelesslystealfromand
murdermyfamilythenitisnotokay.explainedLara.Shealsocontinuedbyexplaining
thatithasbeenthatwaysinceshewasalittlegirlbutithasgottenmuchworse.Lara
mentionedhowtwoyearsagoherbrotheralmostlosthislifewhenapairofmenwho
mighthavebeenactualcopsorcriminalsdressedascops,robbedhimatgunpointjust
outsideoftheairportwhenhearrivedtotheDominicanRepublic.Theinformationthat


Alcantara2

IreceivedfrominterviewingKoskiaLaraiscrediblebecauseshehaslivedintheisland
andknowssomeonewhohasexperiencedpolicebrutalityfirsthand.Thisinformation
issimilartootherinformationIhavegatheredsoitwillhelpanswermyquestion.

Minster,Christopher."TheUSOccupationoftheDominicanRepublic,19161924."
About
.
About,1Jan.2003.Web.5Feb.2015..
Thisarticlegoesbacktothehistoryofhowthe
PoliciaNacional
began.TheUnited
StatesoccupiedandgovernedtheDominicanRepublicsincetheDominicanRepublic
wasindebt,owingmoneytotheUnitedStatesandothercountries.Moneywastightin
thedominicanrepublicsincetheUSforciblywentaroundcollectingmoneytoclearout
thedebt.Unfortunately,afterbeingoccupiedbytheUSforeightyearsandfinally
havingamorestablegovernment,thedemocracydidnotlast.TheDominican
RepublicwasdictatedbyRafaelTrujillofrom19301961.Trujillowasanofficerthat
trainedthecountriesfirstmunicipalpoliceforce(theConstabularyGuard)backwhen
theUSoccupiedtheDominicanRepublic.Thiswebsiteisaneducationalwebsitethat
wascreatedbytheAboutGroupwhichisan
Internetbasednetworkofcontentthat

publishesarticlesandvideosaboutvarioussubjectsonits"topicsites,"ofwhich
therearenearly1,000.Thisarticlehelpsanswermyquestionbecauseitgoes
backtotherootofDominicanpolicingwhichhelpssupportwhythe
Policia
National
istoday.

"News."
DominicanRepublic:KillingsattheHandsofthePoliceRiseWhileReformsStall
.
AmnestyInternational,15Aug.2014.Web.12Jan.2015.


Alcantara3

Thiswebsiteexplainshowthenumberofdeathscausedbypolicemenhaveincreased
significantlyfrom20112014.Upto14peopleamontharedyingatthehandsofthe
policeandthegovernmentisdoingnothingtochangethat.Policeofficersare
notoriousforpullingpeopleoverandthreateningthembysayingthatiftheydon'tgive
themmoney(bribethem)thentheywouldshoot,beat,arrest,orkillthem.Ibelieve
thatthiswebsiteiscrediblebecauseithasmanyarticlesabouteverycountryandthe
websitealsohasalotofconnectionsandsourcesofinformationinthese
countries.Thiscoursehelpsidentifyotherstrategiesthatcorruptpolicemenuseinthe
DominicanRepublic.Thissourcealsogivenmeinformationabouthowdeathbypolice
hasincreasedsignificantlyovertheyearswhichwouldsupporttheanswertomy
question.

"POLICIANACIONALDOMINICANA,MIEDOORESPETO?"
Univision.com
.14Mar.2005.
Web.8Jan.2015.
Thisarticlespeaksabouthowwomen,mainlymothers,livinginSantoDomingo,
Dominicanrepublicareafraidofcriminalsposingaspoliceofficerswhichmaketheir
livingbystealingfrominnocentpeople.Thecriminalsdressedaspoliceofficers
usuallypullpeopleoverandwithaweapon,takeallthepeoplesvaluables.Theyhave
alsostolenfrompeoplebysearchingtheirhomes.Criminalsareknowntomurderthe
majorityofpeoplethattheystealfromwhichiswhysomanypeoplebecomefearful.It
hasbecomedifficulttobesocialandleavehometoworksohardfortheirfamiliesif
criminalsaregoingtocomeandtakewhattheyseeastheirs.ThewebsitethatI
receivedthisinformationfromiscrediblebecauseitisaverywellknowntelevision
network,TelevisaCanal5,thatmanyhispanicswatchintheUnitedStatestokeepup
withwhatisgoingonbackintheircountries.TheinformationthatIhavecollectedfrom


Alcantara4

thisarticlehashelpedmeunderstandthatnotallofficersintheDominicanRepublic
arebadpeople,theyrejustindesperateneedofmoney.Criminalsaremakingit
difficulttotrustofficersforusingtheiridentitiesandmakinginnocentpeoplebelieve
thatpoliceofficersaretheonesstealingfromthem.

"RafaelTrujilloNHDDocumentary."
YouTube
.AllyDunavant(Youtuber),4Dec.2014.
Web.12Feb.2015.<
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peco1D7DaBw
>.
Thisisashort,nineminutedocumentaryaboutRafaelTrujillo,themanthatdictated
theDominicanRepublicfrom19301961.Hewasbornintoamiddleclassfamilyin
SanCristobalon1891.
WhentheU.S.Marines,thenoccupyingtheDominican
Republic,offeredhimtheopportunitytotrainasanofficerforthecountry'sfirst
municipalpoliceforce,theConstabularyGuard,Trujilloaccepted.Trujilloquicklyrose
uptheranks.In1924hewasmadesecondincommandoftheguardandinJuneof
1925,hewaspromotedtocommanderinchief.Intheearly1930sTrujilloranfor
presidentandduringhispresidentialcampaign,heorganizedasecretpoliceforceto
tortureandmurdersupportersoftheopposingcandidate.Notsurprisingly,Trujillowon
theelection.Overtheyears,hechangednamesofcitiestobenamedafterhim,he
orchestratedthemassacreofthousandsofHaitianimmigrants,tooktotalcontrolof
majorindustriesandfinancialinstitutions,clearedoutpeasanttownstomakeroomfor
sugarplantations,imposedemergencytaxesandmore.Towardtheendofhislife,
hefacedgrowingoppositionfromDominicancitizensaswellasforeignpressureto
relaxhisrule.Healsostartedlosingmilitarysupportfromthearmy,withtheCIA
maneuveringtohavehimremovedfrompower.Hewasassassinatedin1961.This
videoiscrediblebecauseitgivessimilarinformationaboutTrujillothatIalreadyread


Alcantara5

fromarticlesandspeakingtomymother,whoisDominican,abouthim.This
documentaryhelpsanswermyquestionbecauseitinformsmeaboutthepersonwho
influencedthedecisionsoftheDominicanpolicetoday.

"The1965RevolutionintheDominicanRepublic."
AllowMeToExplain
.AllowMeToExplain,
30July2009.Web.12Feb.2015.
ThisarticleexplainswhattheDominicanRepublichadtogothroughtoleavethem
wheretheyaretoday.Themajorityofthepeopleontheislandareextremelypoor,
livinginshackswithbarelyanyfood,noformofeducationjustalotofhardlabor.The
reasonforallofthesethingsisbecauseofhowterriblethegovernmentwasand
becauseoftherevolution.Thissiteiscrediblebecauseitgivesfactsaboutthehistory
oftheDominicanRepublic,especiallythedictatorsandwars.Thiswillhelpanswermy
questionbecauseitisapartofhistorythatisneededtobeknown.

Yagoub,Mimi."DominicanRepublicPoliceCorruptionSignofBoomingDrugMarket."
DominicanRepublicPoliceCorruptionSignofBoomingDrugMarket
.Insightcrime.org,21
Feb.2014.Web.4Dec.2014.
IntheDominicanRepublic,policeofficershavebeenreceiving$140,00bribeseach
monthfrommicrotraffickingnetworks.Themajorityofthepoliceofficersinvolvedare
fromSanCristobal.Workingwiththepolicemadeitmucheasiertodistributethe
drugs,suchascocaineandheroin,puttingmoremoneyinthepocketsofthecartels.
Bribingpoliceofficersforeasierdistributionofdrugsmaynotalsobeusedinthe
DominicanRepublicbutinotherCaribbeanislandsaswell.Manyofficersare
desperateformoneytobeabletoprovidefortheirfamiliessincetheirlegaljobsarent


Alcantara6

payingthemwell.Ibelievethiswebsiteiscrediblesinceithasalotofvalidinformation
thati'venotonlyheardfrommyfamilywholiveintheDominicanRepublic,butfrom
theDominicanrepublictvnews.Policeofficershaveoftenbeendismissedor
incarceratedforworkingwithcartels.Thissourcefitswellintomyresearchbecauseit
isanexampleofpolicecorruption.PolicecorruptionintheUnitedStatesismainly
whathasbeenfillingthenewslatelyalotofracismtowardsblacksandhispanics.I
picturedsomethingsimilartodiscriminationbecauseIimaginedthatthepoliceofficers,
whomarentbeingpaidwell,targetwealthypeopleintheDominicanRepublicbutthis
articlemademethinkdifferently.Theytargetanyone.Itwasneverajealousyissue,it
ismoreofthesepeoplebeingdesperatetofeedtheirfamilies.