Panama City Mayor Defends Municipal Police Amid Legal Challenges to Search and Detain Powers

Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi has staunchly defended the Municipal Police's expanded powers, dismissing legal challenges as "politiquería" or political maneuvering. The Supreme Court of Justice is currently examining a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the force's authority to conduct searches, make arrests, and execute preventive detentions.

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After unemployment, security is the number two most important issue for citizens.

Mizrachi asserted that the municipal officers are not aiming to replace the National Police but to supplement their security work. He highlighted that such municipal police forces have existed for decades in Panama and for over a century in other municipalities. "After unemployment, security is the number two most important issue for citizens," Mizrachi stated, emphasizing the public's need for security.

Despite Mizrachi's defense, the Ministry of Security has formally objected to the municipal police's expanded roles, filing its own lawsuit with the Supreme Court. The controversy centers on an agreement that grants municipal police the power to use force during searches and detentions before handing individuals over to competent authorities. This has raised questions about whether a municipal government can grant powers typically reserved for national security agencies.

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It is a police force that existed 30 years ago and exists in other municipalities for more than 100 years. So, I think we really have to focus on what matters. There is politiquería and there is the need of the people.

Adding to the opposition, President José Raúl Mulino has expressed his strong disapproval, recalling that the municipal police were originally intended to protect parks and monuments. He criticized the expansion of their duties, calling it "unconstitutional" and warning that allowing each mayor to create similar forces would lead to chaos, also noting the potential for uniform confusion with the SPI (State Protection Service). The debate intensified following a recent altercation involving municipal police and former city hall officials.

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I am against the new concept of municipal police. That was created to guard parks and monuments and cannot be transformed into another police force. Besides being unconstitutional, each mayor can do the same and it would be a disaster, apart from the uniforms that get confused with the SPI.