Sunday, July 29, 2007 Wear uniform during checkpoints, chief tells cops
POLICE officers conducting checkpoints should be in complete uniform and not in blue T-shirts.
Following complaints through text, e-mails, letters and telephone calls, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 reminded lower units to follow police operational procedures when conducting checkpoints.
Holding random checkpoints is one of the crime prevention measures local police have been practicing.
Complaints ranged from police officers who could not be identified because they were dressed in civilian clothes to other complaints about members of the Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN), barangay tanods and civilian volunteers being more aggressive” in conducting the searches. There were also claims of lost items after the search.
The memo stated there was no way to identify the officers who manned the checkpoint because they were not wearing identification cards and had no nameplates.
“If the above reports are proven true, these are blatant violations of existing police operational procedures, particularly on the proper conduct of checkpoints. These acts constitute transgressions of the constitutionally protected rights of persons against unreasonable searches and seizure,” the memo read.
The PRO 7 instructed all police officers to be in their prescribed general office attire (blue uniforms) and not to wear their blue T-shirts during checkpoints.
Acting Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador, for his part, said some of the accusations are unfair. In a news conference Friday, he said there were no formal complaints lodged before his office so he could investigate his personnel. Also, they need the volunteers because they are short of personnel, he said.
“It’s unfair if they (volunteers) are accused of certain acts because we are not paying them. These are all voluntary. We do not want to discourage them,” Comendador told reporters.
He said the volunteers assist them in conducting checkpoints.
He explained that in manning a checkpoint, they needed to secure two areas in case someone tries to escape inspection, and they don’t have enough manpower to successfully do this.
Earlier, he proposed to the PRO 7 to conduct an anger management and basic courtesy seminar, saying courtesy is of “paramount importance” in conducting these operations.
Aside from his policemen, he also wants members of the BIN to undergo their own seminar.
Comendador is not discounting the possibility that some of the circulating text messages circulating are meant to discredit police because the operation has affected their illegal operations.
He said these text messages began to circulate after several successful crackdowns on illegal drugs.
He said these text messages should be treated with caution. (MEA)
