Tag Archives: public security

WikiLeaks: US describes UPP as “counter-insurgency” strategy similar to Iraq, Afghanistan

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Katie| 2 Comments
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UPP forces in Cidade de Deus

Republication of cable “Counter-Insurgency Doctrine Comes to Rio’s Favelas.” By Dennis W. Hearne in WikiLeaks, republished by mrkva. Published September, 30 2011.

WikiLeaks recently released this confidential State Department cable from September of 2009 summarizing the UPP program, and describing it as sharing “some characteristics with U.S. counter-insurgency doctrine and strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq” and emphasizes “significant economic interests at stake.”  The author, Dennis W. Hearne, currently the consul general of Rio de Janeiro, previously spent two years as a political adviser in Afghanistan.  Hearne concludes that if the UPP program continues past Rio’s 2009 Olympics bid and Sergio Cabral’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, it has serious potential to “remake the social and economic fabric of Rio de Janeiro,” noting the serious benefits of “reintegrating some one million favela residents into mainstream markets.”

US embassy cable – 09RIODEJANEIRO329
COUNTER-INSURGENCY DOCTRINE COMES TO RIO’S FAVELAS Continue reading →

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Posted in Crime, Rio de Janeiro, UPP

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Camilo Coelho of Blog da Pacificação on UPPs & “moradores de bem”

Posted on September 15, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Camilo Coelho, once a public security reporter for Jornal Extra, is now the driving force behind Blog da Pacificação, which has the mission of finding and sharing the stories of the “moradores de bem” (good residents) in favelas with UPPs. He has been doing this work for over a year. In this video, Camilo says there are tangible gains from this project and that cariocas want to believe that it will improve their city. He discusses his work and how it has made him a proponent of the UPP project, while admitting that more needs to be done in terms of social investment because the police alone cannot tackle all problems.

*Editor’s note: In this video, Camilo says that the blog is apolitical and that he does not work for the government, but is, instead, contracted by Casa Digital, an advertising agency “that believes in Rio.” Casa Digital is the digital media branch of the firm Agência Prole [http://prole.com.br/projetos.html], which manages the multimillion real contracts [http://prole.com.br/clientes.html] of Viva Rio, AfroReggae, and the city and state governments of Rio de Janeiro. It also managed the recent reelection campaigns for Mayor Eduardo Paes and Governor Sérgio Cabral, a campaign on which Coelho worked.

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Posted in Interview, Opinion, Rio de Janeiro, UPP, Video

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Col. Paulo Amendola (ret.), Founder of BOPE, Says UPPs are a “Romantic” Idea for Rio de Janeiro

Posted on September 5, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Col. Paulo Amendola (ret.) is a fixture in Rio de Janeiro’s public security history. As a Military Police official, he founded an elite hostage rescue team called the Nucleo de Companhia Operações Especiais in 1979, which would grow to become the Batalhão de Operações Especiais Policial (BOPE), made world famous because of the Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad) films directed by José Padilha. In 1994, Col. Amendola was selected by then-mayor Cesar Maia to create Rio’s Municipal Guard, a non-police security unit that assists in patrolling Rio’s streets, parks, and public structures. Currently, he is a professor at Estácio de Sá University, a consultant in public security, and is a contracted commentator for Rede Record TV.

Col. Amendola sat down with Rio Radar in his university office to discuss the founding of BOPE, why UPPs are a “romantic” notion, and his views on the cultural gap and lack of training that are hindering UPPs.

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Ignácio Cano on: Public Security: Past, Present & Future

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Ignácio Cano is a professor and researcher at the Laboratório de Análise da Violência at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. He has been studying public security, violence, police, and society in Rio and Brazil for fifteen years. Rio Radar had the chance to sit down with Professor Cano at his home office recently for a long talk. We didn’t have the heart to cut much content, so, as a special feature, we are releasing the content in four installments:

  • The Role of Militias
  • Corruption & Politics
  • UPPs
  • Public Security: Past, Present & Future

In this video, Professor Cano reflects on his fifteen years studying public security in Rio de Janeiro and looks back on an op-ed he wrote for O Globo newspaper in 2007, outlining four changes needed to decrease violence and improve policing in the city. He considers the progress that academics have made in entering the public discourse, improvements that have been achieved, and possibilities for the future.

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Ignácio Cano on: UPPs

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin| 1 Comment

Ignácio Cano is a professor and researcher at the Laboratório de Análise da Violência at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. He has been studying public security, violence, police, and society in Rio and Brazil for fifteen years. Rio Radar had the chance to sit down with Professor Cano at his home office recently for a long talk. We didn’t have the heart to cut much content, so, as a special feature, we are releasing the content in four installments:

  • The Role of Militias
  • Corruption & Politics
  • UPPs
  • Public Security: Past, Present & Future

In this, the third in a four video series, Ignácio offers his thoughts on the Police Pacification Units program that was initiated in Rio de Janeiro in December of 2008. He discusses walking the fine line of encouraging improvements to policing while at the same time retaining a critical eye. As well, he outlines reasonable expectations for the program and decries overly optimistic expectations of the program as being a burden to both the establishment and its civil society critics.

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Posted in Crime, Interview, Opinion, UPP, Video

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Ignácio Cano on: Police, Corruption & Politics

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Ignácio Cano is a professor and researcher at the Laboratório de Análise da Violência at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. He has been studying public security, violence, police, and society in Rio and Brazil for fifteen years. Rio Radar had the chance to sit down with Professor Cano at his home office recently for a long talk. We didn’t have the heart to cut much content, so, as a special feature, we are releasing the content in four installments:

  • The Role of Militias
  • Corruption & Politics
  • UPPs
  • Public Security: Past, Present & Future

This video addresses connections between police and political corruption and the increasingly united voice of civil society against “business as usual.” Ignacio directly links higher level corruption to violence in the city and ponders security in 2017, when the mega-event well runs dry and speaks frankly about Rio’s political leaders.

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Prof. Ignácio Cano on: Militias

Posted on August 29, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Ignácio Cano is a professor and researcher at the Laboratório de Análise da Violência at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. He has been studying public security, violence, police, and society in Rio and Brazil for fifteen years. Rio Radar had the chance to sit down with Professor Cano at his home office recently for a long talk. We didn’t have the heart to cut much content, so, as a special feature, we are releasing the content in four installments:

  • The Role of Militias
  • Corruption & Politics
  • UPPs
  • Public Security: Past, Present & Future

In this first installment, Prof. Cano explains the subversive role of militias and talks about past and future research that LAV is doing on the subject. He discusses political connections and responses to militias and how these groups are just as bad or worse than drug traffickers.

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Lessons from the 2007 Pan-American Games with Prof. Mauricio Murad

Posted on August 28, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Opening ceremonies of the 2007 Pan-American Games at the Maracanã stadium

English translation of interview “Do Pan à Copa, lições para se fazer mais bonito.” From Comunidade Segura, by Mauricio Murad, published October 30, 2007

The 2014 World Cup will definitely be in Brazil, unless FIFA gives up on the country along the way, which is unlikely. But the preparations must begin soon, because in security, prevention is fundamental, and requires more than a temporary increase in patrolling.

The need to articulate solutions for the short, medium and long terms to peaceful execute major events was evident in a survey conducted in State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and the Universe during the Pan-American Games. Coordinated by Professor Mauricio Murad—a reference in Brazil for studies on the sociology of sports—the research intended to evaluate, in terms of population, the security planning of the games and the legacy of the event for the city.

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Interview w/ Julia Michaels & Taylor K. Barnes – Rio de Janeiro politics, security & journalism

Posted on July 20, 2011 by admin| 3 Comments

In this (subtitle free!) interview, Rio Radar speaks with American journalists Julia Michaels and Taylor K. Barnes. Julia, who has lived in Brazil for 30 years, is the editor of the bilingual Rio Real Blog, analyzing and synthesizing the changes that Rio is undergoing. Taylor is a freelance journalist that has written for Foreign Policy, the Christian Science Monitor, the Miami Herald, EcoAméricas, Global Post, the Islamic Monthly, and World Pulse.

Julia and Taylor discuss the significance of Barack Obama’s Brazil visit, contemplate why foreigners are so interested in favelas, give examples of tangible changes in Rio’s security, and explain the problems of the city’s news media.

For more from Julia Michaels, visit www.RioRealBlog.com.

For more from Taylor K. Barnes, visit www.TaylorKBarnes.com.

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