Friday, June 10, 2011

A solution to police corruption?

Everyone complains about police corruption in Honduras, whether it's having to pay 100 Lemps when stopped by traffic cops or perceived police involvement in more serious crimes such as kidnappings and robberies.  A partial remedy to this problem, or at least a step in the right direction is simple and cheap.

Last month, I was in Ecuador as part of a business trip.  I noticed an article in the local paper announcing that as part of a government effort to 'increase public confidence in the police, insure a police force of high moral character, and to eradicate corruption', all police would have to undergo polygraph tests.  What a brilliant idea...both cost effective and an efficient deterrent!

Since Honduras is a poor country with meager resources, this type of preventive measure can be introduced without a great expenditure of public funds.  A private company could be contracted to administer the tests in order avoid any potential conflicts of interests or collusion.
                                 
I hope Oscar Alvarez will read this post and consider the idea, and that some of my readers will help to further publicize this idea and push for its implementation.

As an aside, the editorial cartoon that day was priceless.  It showed a large woman towering over her smaller husband who was sweating profusely during her interrogation, with the caption, 'poligrafo casero' (household polygraph).

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