From David Sasaki (Facebook)
Let me introduce myself. I’m a Cotacachi resident and I just wanted to pass along some information.
I had a chance to sit down with the major who was in charge of Cotacachi’s police force. He has since moved on. But I think what he told me will not change, since he got his orders from Ibarra.
As you may have noticed, there is an increased police presence in Cotacachi. Not too long ago, there were only four officers in the town. There are now 24, including a number of motorcycle officers. There has been a major police redeployment in the province. Before, most of the officers were stationed in Ibarra. That has changed. More police have been assigned to various towns. Even Apuela in the Intag now has ten officers.
The sense I’m getting is that the government is finally taking the crime problem seriously. There are plans to build 400 new UPC’s (community policing stations) in the country. Cotacachi recently got a new UPC which is where I listened to the officer in charge who spoke for more than an hour about the changes you will see.
Many of you already know about the panic button system. You go down to the police station with your cell phone. They will take information including your address and program your phone. If there’s an emergency, you hold down one button for five seconds, and an officer will be dispatched to your home. Bear in mind that this system is only good if you are at home because that’s where the officer would go.
Another important development is an alarm system that will be installed in each of the barrios. My understanding is that when someone pushes the panic button, an alarm will sound in the entire barrio. This system is being used in Chile, and has been installed so far in 40% of the barrios in Ibarra. Of course, this has the potential for being really annoying, if there are a lot of false alarms.
Perhaps the most important thing I heard from the officer in charge is that police want to know what your concerns are. This seems to be a major change in attitude.
Of course the big question, is this all for show? The standard procedure when someone is arrested in Cotacachi is to take that person to the hospital. A doctor examines the person to check for any signs of police brutality. The suspect is then hauled off to jail, either in Otavalo or Ibarra. When Dan Delgado, whom many of you know, visited the hospital recently, he saw more than 30 people being detained there. The major told us 50 Cotacachi residents were in the Otavalo jail alone. While I was listening to him, police were gearing up to raid the home of a suspected child molester. So police are making arrests. I can’t speak for how many of those arrested are prosecuted and sentenced.
I’ve also gotten to know the officer assigned to my barrio. He doesn’t speak any English, but at least he knows my name, my face and where I live. I would suggest all of you find out the name of the officer who patrols your barrio. Introduce yourself if you have a chance and get his phone number and email address. You can find out the officer’s name at the police station. The police also have maps showing which barrio you live in. One of the biggest barrios is called Oriental Fase II. It extends from the post office up toward the center of town.
Sorry for the long post. But I think this information is important for anyone living in Cotacachi.