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Panama Police Forces
The Police Forces (Fuerzas de Policía) in the mid-1980s
included a number of major units and several smaller ones
performing relatively minor functions. Most important was the
National Department of Investigations (Departamento Nacional de
Investigaciones--DENI), which has historically been viewed by many
Panamanians as a kind of secret police. For most of its history,
Panama has had organizations similar to the DENI. The undercover
police began with the decree-law, issued by President José D.
Obaldía in 1909, establishing a ten-man section in the Panama City
Police and a five-man section in Colón, to engage exclusively in
undercover police investigations. In effect, Obaldía created a
detective organization supervised by the commander of the National
Police.
In 1941, during the presidency of Arnulfo Arias Madrid, the
enlarged detective agency became the National Secret Police and was
removed from the jurisdiction of the police commander, although it
remained under the Ministry of Government and Justice. According to
the decree establishing it, the National Secret Police was to be
the investigative agency dealing with infractions of the law as
well as with conspiracies against the state or against national
security.
In May 1960 President Ernesto de la Guardia, with the approval
of the cabinet and the Permanent Legislative Commission, issued a
decree-law that created the DENI to replace the National Secret
Police. The new agency was removed from the Ministry of Government
and Justice and placed in the Public Ministry under the direction
of the attorney general. DENI powers were carefully delineated in
the 1960 law; primarily an investigatory agency, it acquired
broader authority that made it the Panamanian counterpart of the
United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. Besides
investigating crime, DENI was to maintain surveillance on known
political extremists and potential subversives. DENI agents were
authorized to maintain surveillance of hotels, pensions, and
boarding houses in Panamanian cities in order to follow the
movements of transients who might be potential violators of the
law. The agency was also charged with administering a national
identity bureau and with keeping records of all criminals and
criminal activities. A fingerprint file was established by
recording the prints of each citizen who applied for the national
identity card (cédula).
DENI became a member of the International Organization of
Criminal Police (Interpol). Sometime after the coup d'état of 1968,
it was subordinated to the G-2 of the National Guard's General
Staff. In the mid-1980s, the DENI was commanded by a major and
headquartered in Ancón near Panama City. The overall strength of
this organization and location of its agents were not publicized;
however, it was generally assumed that Panama City, Colón, and
David were its main areas of activity.
The Police Forces also included the Traffic Police (Dirección
Nacional de Tránsito Terrestre), which was founded as a separate
entity in 1969. Headquartered in Panama City, the Traffic Police
regulated and controlled traffic throughout the country. Units were
stationed in the cities and suburbs as well as on the back roads
and highways, including the Pan-American Highway. In performing its
countrywide duties, the Traffic Police coordinated with other FDP
personnel in the posts and stations of eleven of the twelve
military zones; coordination was not possible in the Twelfth
Military Zone, located in the Comarca de San Blas, because of the
lack of roads. Responsibilities of the Traffic Police included
issuing, renewing, and revoking drivers' licenses and vehicle
registrations; investigating accidents and infractions of the
vehicle laws; inspecting vehicles for safety hazards; and
developing training programs for safe driving. In the late 1980s,
the force was commanded by a major.
The Police Forces also included small police units called the
Tourism Police (Policía de Turismo) and Community Police (Policía
Comunitaria), both commanded by lieutenants. The Immigration
Department and the First Public Order Company (Doberman) first came
under the control of the Police Forces in 1983. The Immigration
Department was staffed by civilians, but was fully integrated into
the FDP; its head reported directly to the FDP commander. The First
Public Order Company, commanded by a captain, was charged with riot
control and was the primary instrument used for this purpose in the
1980s.
Data as of December 1987
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