Arns Commission demands investigation and measures to be taken on police violence in the state of São Paulo

In an official letter sent to the São Paulo State Secretariat of Public Security, on July 23rd, the Arns Commission requested measures to investigate and deal with several cases of police violence that occurred in the last two months in the state, as reported in the press.

The cases cited in the document were:

1. The shooting death of a teenager, with the arrest of a Military Police sergeant as the suspect, on June 14
2. The assault on a woman by Military Police officers when she denounced domestic violence, on June 15
3. The strangulation of a young man by a Military Police officer during a police street check, on June 22
4. The assault on a woman who was locked up in a police station by a Military Policeman, on July 12
5. The assault on a motorcycle courier during a police check by Military Police officers in São Paulo, on July 14

The Commission believes that “the adoption of administrative measures in order to curb the practice of abusive conduct against the population, especially against young Black men in peripheral areas, is necessary and urgent.”

The official letter also highlights that “the issue of police activity is currently being debated in Brazil and worldwide, and it is appropriate that the State of São Paulo adopts a minimum agenda for the requalification of public safety services, reaffirming social control, preventive practices, and the tools for reporting and investigating abusive conducts.”