Argentina
| Author | Adam Dulin |
| Pages | 149-155 |
Page 149
Official country name: Argentine Republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Geographic description: Southeastern part of South America, covering much of the tapering end of the continent.
Population: 39,537,943 (est. 2005)
The initial development of police forces in Latin America followed a Spanish model noted for its repressiveness and orientation toward order maintenance and defense of the Crown. Often, the role of police was viewed as complementary to that of the army. The number of law enforcement personnel in the colonies was small. The task of order maintenance was assigned to marshals (alguaciles), rural police, and night watchmen (serenos). The first police departments were established in Chile (1760), New Granada (1791), Brazil (1808), Argentina (1813), and Uruguay (1829).
Argentina, the second largest country in South America, underwent a colonization process beginning in 1615 with the landing of Juan Díaz de Solís. For the next two hundred years European powers fought for control over the rich resources that Argentina had to offer. Spain eventually became the country's colonial master, ruling its people as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776 when the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata was instituted. A quarter of a century later Europeans were occupying most parts of the country and establishing their own institutions including Roman Catholicism and European forms of government. Second-generation Argentines, brimming with nationalism and a hunger for freedom from Spain's colonial grip, along with native South Americans, eventually drove Spanish forces back to the Iberian Peninsula. In 1853 Argentina established its first constitutional presidency.
Since independence, Argentina has experienced a number of high and low periods. The country's economic boom period occurred during the early part of the twentieth century when Buenos Aires was nicknamed the "Paris of South America." Argentina has also had its share of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes including the dictatorship of Juan Perón, a legacy the country feels to this day. Today, 97% of Argentina's population is composed of European descendants. The official language is Spanish and the capital, situated in Río de la Plata, is Buenos Aires.
Similar to the United States, Argentina has a decentralized police system. The various police agencies in
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Argentina include a federal police force and a police force in all of the country's 23 provinces. The primary function of police in Argentina is to ensure national security and protect the lives and property of citizens. In addition, police keep the judiciary branch informed of offenders who need to stand trial. Police officers (oficiales) also have important roles within the Argentine penal system. During sentencing, officers may serve as secretaries of instruction (secretarios de instruccion de la Investigacion Penal Preparatoria).
After the city of Buenos Aires became federalized in 1880, its police force became more professionalized and a previously ill-defined mission became more focused. Though a stable foundation based on an organic code had not been established, the police mission was defined as the protection of law and order and the security of the state in the Reglamento General issued in 1885.
More stable foundations for the Argentine police were established in 1906 after Colonel Ramón Falcón was appointed as the Chief of Police for Buenos Aires. Falcón established the police along hierarchical lines in a restructuring process that would be performed again at the end of the 1900s. The main component of the police under Falcón was the Security Division (uniformed police). An Investigative Division was also instituted that operated in plainclothes. In addition to these two main divisions, Administrative and Judicial Divisions were also created.
During the early part of the twentieth century the Buenos Aires Police was rapidly growing and becoming more attuned to the Argentine experience with crime and delinquency. The police personnel increased from 4,170 in 1907 to 5,372 in 1911. By 1914, mobile patrols and crime labs, as well as new training practices, were created. By 1999 the Buenos Aires provincial police had more than 48,000 officers and was the country's largest armed force. Despite these numbers, Argentina needs more police officers. In 1998 the Buenos Aires provincial police was restructured in a process perceived as traumatic and dangerous to the lawyers and academics who pioneered the change and to the new officers brought in to ensure the new police force was effective. Changes included breaking the police force into 18 different departments and the sacking of 300 commanders. Additionally, the detectives' brigade was dissolved and detectives were placed in a separate department under the command of Argentine prosecutors. Perhaps most importantly, civilian oversight was placed in the new policing structure. Amendments to the legal code inserted civilians in positions of investigation and oversight to combat corruption.
The Federal Police in Argentina (Policía Federal Argentina) has a rich history dating back to 1580 when Juan de Garay founded City of the Trinity and the Port of Santa Maria of Buenos Aires (la Ciudad de la Trinidad and Puerto de Santa María de Buenos Aires). During this time, people were selected to exercise police and judicial functions. In the beginning there was not a police station, rather, designated authorities enforced the folkways and mores out of their own homes.
On December 31, 1821, the position of Chief of Police (Jefe de Policía) was created. The first Police Chief of the Argentine Federal Police was Don Joaquín de Achaval. February 22 of the following year, the Federal Police had its first headquarters, a palace that formerly served as the residence of Bishop Diocesano dating back to 1761.
To become a police officer in Argentina, potential recruits must undergo physical and mental examinations as well as psychological tests. Then, recruits may either be selected for the Officers Academy (designed for high ranking officers) or an academy for street-level police officers who will later become traffic police, investigators and so on. Gaining entrance into an academy is difficult because of the entrance requirements as well as the lack of vacant positions. Street-level officers attend academy training for six months and high-level oficiales attend academy training for two years.
Once police officers have completed training they can go to a police...
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