Ponce Municipal Police

Policía Municipal de Ponce Ponce Municipal Police
Abbreviation	PMP

Motto	Proteccion, Seguridad Protection, Security
Agency overview
Formed	1977
Employees	421 (as of February 2012)
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, USA

Map of Policía Municipal de Ponce's jurisdiction.
Size	193.6 sq mi (501.44 km²)
Population	196,590
Legal jurisdiction	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Governing body	Autonomous Municipality of Ponce
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Downtown Historical District, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Police Officers	over 400
Agency executive	Norberto Rodriguez Alicea, Police Commissioner
Supervisions	List Highway Patrol Special Services Unit Community Relations Fast Response Unit Motorize Unit Maritime Unit Turistic Unit K-9 Unit Cycle Patrol Unit Investigations Unit Protection and Surveillance Transportation Unit Amber Alert Task Force U.I.V.C.C.
Facilities
Precincts	List Digital Command Center - Ave. Hostos Cantera Guancha Coto Laurel Fullana
Police Cars	Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Chevrolet Trailblazer Chevrolet Impala
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. Note: Edwin Torres Ortiz, Teniente Coronel

The Policía Municipal de Ponce (English: Ponce Municipal Police) is the main police force for the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico, with jurisdiction in the entire municipality, including all 31 barrios of Ponce. It was created under Law #19 of 12 May 1977, known as Ley de la Guardia Municipal (Municipal Guard Law) creating the municipal police forces in each municipality of Puerto Rico, and amended via Law #45 of 22 May 1996, known as Ley de la Policia Municipal (Municipal Police Law).

The history of the Ponce Municipal Police dates back to at least 1902 when there was already a municipal police force in the city. At the time (1902), it was the only police force serving the municipality of Ponce.

Since its re-establishment in September 1977, the Ponce Municipal Police has been growing in personnel and equipment. It is the second city police force in Puerto Rico to have an Amber Alert Task Force.

The Ponce Municipal Police headquarters are located on Avenida Las Americas (PR-163) and Carretera Pampanos (PR-2R) in barrio Canas at the Secretaria de Deportes building. A new building, which used to be occupied by the Ponce regional headquarters of the Puerto Rico Police on Avenida Hostos in Barrio Canas Urbano, is currently under refurbishment to become the new headquarters of the Ponce Municipal Police. This second location currently still houses the control center of the Ponce Municipal Police which monitors the city's 334 security cameras. As of April 2012, the administrative offices of the Police Commissioner are located on the third floor of the Secretaria de Deportes on Avenida Las Americas, in barrio Canas. At one point there were also plans to headquarter the Ponce Municipal Police at the old Plaza del Mercado de Ponce, known as Edificio Bigas, once it was reconfigured, but the site may be used to headquarter only a precinct.

The municipal police has precincts in La Guancha,Mariani (Fullana), Belgica, and Cantera. There is also a tourist police precinct on the first underground level of the municipal parking garage at the Dora Colón Clavell Urban Park. The Transit Unit works out of the Mariani precinct, while the Maritime Unit works out of the La Guancha precinct.

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Wikipedia