Dominican Republic police reform requires operational and institutional shifts

The debate regarding police reform in the Dominican Republic is currently focused on the normative level, yet a successful reform requires addressing three successive stages: the normative, the operative, and the institutional.

While Article 255 of the Constitution mandates the National Police to safeguard citizen security and maintain public order, there is a significant gap between law and implementation. For example, Law 590-16, enacted in July 2016, required seventeen regulatory instruments to be established within six months. However, the General Application Regulation did not enter into force until January 2022, representing a delay of over five years. Many of the sixteen internal regulations remain pending or only partially approved.

Beyond legal and operational frameworks, the third pillar—the institutional level—involves integrating these rules into the corporate culture of the police force. Experts warn against 'naive normativism,' where the legislative approval of a law is mistaken for the completion of the reform process. Without effective regulation, supervision, and accountability, there is a risk that the reform remains merely symbolic.