Municipalities Should Fight Organized Crime

[Ecuajey]

Taboada: municipalities should also fight organized crime

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2002.

PONCE (AP) – Police Association President Jose Juan Taboada on Monday advised Gov. Sila M. Calderon to grant the municipalities the powers to manage the fight against crime.

"I believe, that eventually all the police force’s responsibility to fight crime should be invested in the municipalities,” Taboada said.

"That’s the way it is run in the states. County police deal with everything concerning crime,” the police organization chief said.

Taboada believes that eventually legislation should be presented to grant the municipalities the main role in the fight against organized crime.

The association leader explained he is not suggesting that the state police should be eliminated; rather that the municipalities and the mayors would have the duty role to fight drug traffic and organized crime in their cities.

He said that each mayor knows his municipality’s needs and problems, which is why it would make sense to let them lead the fight against crime.

"In that sense, the municipal police agents would have to strengthen their academic and training skills,” Taboada said in a radio interview.