Ley 137 del 2005
Resumen
Esta ley enmienda la Ley de la Policía de Puerto Rico de 1996 para requerir la publicación mensual y actualización electrónica de estadísticas detalladas de criminalidad y el porcentaje de casos esclarecidos por región policial. El objetivo es aumentar la transparencia, permitir el acceso público a la información sobre la incidencia delictiva y la efectividad gubernamental en la lucha contra el crimen, y facilitar la formulación de estrategias policiales.
Contenido
(No. 137)
(Approved November 4, 2005)
AN ACT
To rename the second subsection
(o) as subsection
(p) and amend subsection
(p) of Section 5 of Act No. 53 of June 10, 1996, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Police Act of 1996," in order to provide for the monthly publication and electronic updating on the Internet page of the agency and in other institutional media, of the statistics on crime listed in detail according to the nature of the crime and the records in percentage terms concerning the matter of clearing up criminal acts for each area contained within the Police Regions.
STATEMENT OF MOTIVES
The primary objective of Act No. 53 of June 10, 1996, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Police Act of 1996," is to create a civil public order body whose main duty shall be to protect persons and property, maintain and conserve the public order, observe and procure the most absolute protection of the civil rights of the citizens, and prevent, discover, investigate and persecute crime in a continuous fight against its incidence.
The Puerto Rico Police is the agency capable of tabulating the various manifestations of criminal conduct in the country, in time and space, and of maintaining statistical records about criminal investigations in percentage terms that would throw light on the phenomenon of criminal conduct and on the investigation and clearing up of the violent crimes that disrupt the lives of the citizens.
This Legislature believes that due to these statistics and to their being continuously updated and accessible to public scrutiny we strengthen the right of the public and the media to gain access to such information. Thus is the effectiveness and transparency of the Government measured in its attention to criminality, which is the social problem of greatest concern for our country.
Besides, this public awareness of the statistics set forth in detail according to the nature of the crimes and the records in percentage terms for each area contained within the Police Regions in matters of criminal investigation, may instill in all sectors of the community a desire to seek new methods, strategies and alternatives to bring into focus and concentrate on the daily fight against the criminal conduct phenomenon.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF PUERTO RICO:
Section 1.-The second subsection
(o) is hereby renamed as subsection
(p) and subsection
(p) of Section 5 of Act No. 53 of June 10, 1996, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 5.-Superintendent; powers, authority, and duties
(a) ...
(o) Negotiate an agreement with the municipalities for the purpose of assigning agents of the Municipal Police Corps to render vigilance services in school premises in coordination with the Puerto Rico Police.
(p) Provide for the establishment and maintenance of a record of criminal incidence in the country, as well as a statistical record for each area contained within the Police Regions on the crimes reported itemized according to their nature and percentage records in matters pertaining to the clearing of criminal acts.
These statistics must serve to allow the Superintendent to establish strategies for fighting crime adequately, as well as to implement preventive initiatives in those areas of greater criminal activity. The Superintendent shall prepare a monthly report of the crimes reported itemized according to their nature and percentage records in matters pertaining to the solving of criminal acts. (1) The Superintendent shall adopt a model for compiling and reporting criminal activity statistics itemized according to their nature for each area contained within the Police Regions and percentage records in matters pertaining to the solving of criminal acts. This model or system must include mechanisms to ensure that the highest quality control criteria are maintained about the statistical information compiled and made public, including internal as well as external annual audits. A copy of the audit reports shall be filed with the Clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate of Puerto Rico not later that February the first $\left(1^{ ext {st }} ight)$ of each year. In the case of statistical data related to murders/homicides, the Superintendent shall establish a protocol to guarantee that Police officers and officials of the Institute of Forensic Sciences and the Demographic Register of the Department of Health share and analyze the information available so as to ensure that there are no discrepancies in the data compiled and reported.
(2) The Superintendent shall establish the corresponding procedure to ensure that the monthly reports per area contained in the Police Regions containing the statistics on criminal activity itemized according to the nature of the crime and the percentage records in matters pertaining to the solving of criminal acts are made available in updated form through the Internet page of the Agency and other means of institutional media to allow the citizens to have constant access to said data.
Section 2.-The monthly reports prepared by virtue of the provisions of Section 1 of this Act must be electronically accessible within thirty (30) days as of the effective date of this Act.
Section 3.-This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 137 (S.B. 498) of the $2^{ ext {nd }}$ Session of the $15^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to rename the second subsection
(o) as subsection
(p) and amend subsection
(p) of Section 5 of Act No. 53 of June 10, 1996, as amended, known as the "Puerto Rico Police Act of 1996," in order to provide for the monthly publication and electronic updating on the Internet page of the agency and in other institutional media, of the statistics on crime listed in detail according to the nature of the crime and the records in percentage terms concerning the matter of clearing up criminal acts for each area contained within the Police Regions, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $6^{ ext {th }}$ of February of 2006.
Francisco J. Domenech Director