Public Note #1 – In support of the São Paulo Police Ombudsman

The Police Ombudsman was created in 1995 by state governor Mário Covas and his Public Security Secretary, the constitutional law expert José Afonso da Silva, as the result of the direct dialogue with Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns. The initial idea was to construct an independent channel between the Police and society.

Item III of Article 2 of Supplementary Law No. 826/97, which created the São Paulo State Police Ombudsman established, among its attributions, to propose to the Public Security Secretary “the adoption of measures that he deems relevant and necessary to the enhancement of services provided to the population by the Civil and Military Police Forces, and by other related public security departments, as well as to carry out research, seminars, and courses focused on topics of interest to public security”.

Throughout its twenty-four years, the Ombudsman produced countless studies, reports, and pieces of research, and received reports from civilians and military personnel demanding for an independent and technically trained body to follow up on the compliments, complaints, and denouncements that are presented there.

The attempt of a group of parliamentary members from the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo to extinguish this important body, which is already part of those that society counts on, does not have a reasonable justification and seems more like a mere attempt to decrease society’s safeguards against the State.

The Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns Commission for the Defense of Human Rights – the Arns Commission – understands that, from the experience of its members, the Ombudsman must continue to operate and act, in order to ensure its mission as a collaborative public security governance body, and only those indifferent to law enforcement and the safeguard of the constitutional rights of citizens should be afraid of it.