Policía Nacional name
sought for Fuerza Pública


The executive branch is seeking to change the name of the Fuerza Pública to the Policía Nacional, a force that will include a number of the separate law enforcement branches that now exist.

Janina del Vecchio, the security minister, appeared before a legislative committee Wednesday to outline the proposal. The proposed law also would stipulate that the police academy training for new officers would be a year and that the trial period for officers would not begin until they left the academy.

In the Costa Rican system, the security ministry supervises the prevention police. These are the Fuerza Pública, the Policía de Fronteras and the Policía de Turismo. Investigations are handled by the Judicial Investigating Organization, a dependency of the judicial system.

There are many police agencies, including the tax police and the immigration police that have been created by separate statutes. Lawmakers can lump these all together or continue some as independent agencies.

Ms. del Vecchio also said she wanted to strengthen the police reserve to make it a permanent arm of the police force. She appeared before the Comisión de Seguridad of the legislature. Members said that they wanted to pass the new police law before the legislature ends May 1. Even if they do not, the proposal would remain intact for incoming lawmakers.


Eliminating  point system
is a benefit for wealthy

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:
 
Once again Costa Rican law, regulations and, indeed, lawmakers have collectively shot themselves in the foot while over protecting the guilty. A common malady, right?
 
A "No-points" traffic law equates to the wealthy able to do whatever the law says they are not supposed to do with impunity. (Similar to Jacó where tourists, mostly Americans, can do whatever they are not allowed to do in the United States.) And, the heavy traffic fines will simply line the pockets with bribes to the under paid "transitos."
 
Possible and likely, those with money will still drive faster than allowed, be more careless than allowed, only slow at red lights, etc because it is just money. The only possible deterrent from running a red light while talking on the newest hand-held cellular and running over a pedestrian (hyperbole) is to add up the points per traffic violation and take away the damn license to drive. It is a privilege to drive a car and not a right, as the assembly has declared.
 
How convoluted is it to premise the "no points" factor on the argument that some people who are repeat traffic law offenders will not be able to drive to and from work? Give me a break! If they are repeat offenders they should not be driving at all!  Not  to work, not to the disco, not to the beach....NOT!. That's a fact and the only true deterrent that is equal for both the wealthiest as well as the poorest of our country. Take away the privilege to drive a car, taxi bus or moto, and we are the same. (Not even a bike)
 
Then, the all new immigration rules are like a mixed salad. As of this letter nobody has a clue.
 
Let's see, by law the perpetual tourist needs to leave the country every 90 days but can pay $100 for an additional 90 day stay and then needs to leave the country for 72 hours to another country but cannot go to the same country twice and after the third try, has to be out of Costa Rica for 15 days? To where? I don't know. AAAAAAAAAAGH!
 
But, good news! Immigration director Zamora says that this is not the case at all. (He must be right. After all he is the DIRECTOR!)
 
His take is, the law be damned! Stay as long as one year and just pay $100 to some unknown entity (Maybe ICE, the telephone company? As a last resort I always pay ICE) every 91st day of your stay. Or perhaps the president-elect is right because she is thinking seriously about reenacting the old 1970 rules that welcomed pensionados (retirees) as permanent, albeit limited, residents of Costa Rica with a laundry list of incentives to retire here similar to what Panamá now offers? (That's because the economy, especially real estate, is not looking so good. However, like the 80s, when the high rollers come back — goodbye old folks.)
 
Sportsbooks are okay, but casinos are not because they seem to foster prostitution which is legal in Costa Rica. Sportsbooks are not. Certainly, we do not want to do anything against nor prohibit the free expression of law. We might not like it, but law is law unless there are six exceptions then it becomes a regulation in Costa Rica. (Joking) The rules are, you can sell it, but you cannot market it.
 
However, the reportedly 300 or so sportsbooks of which maybe 290 rent a room with a computer plus three telephones and have raped the country of its educated, bilingual youth, give jobs to illegals and they are 100 percent unlicensed by anybody, go unregulated, pay zero taxes to Costa Rica and park all of their cash outside of our borders but are, for some unknown reason, "welcome." Can we all spell, "payoff?"
 
Finally, I count 11, not 10, mayors who are either being investigated for corruption or malfeasance. How is this possible in a country of 4.2 million people?
 
What do we do about it? It is what you let your wallet do about it that counts and nothing more because as expats, you have no legal "say" except stop buying, stop paying and stop coming.