Fachin ignores serious risks, and BOPE in RJ is forced to use cameras

Ignoring serious risks to the safety of police officers and harm to the fight against crime, the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Edson Fachin, imposed the use of body cameras on the uniforms worn by agents of the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) of the Military Police of Rio Grande do Sul. Rio de Janeiro (PMRJ).

The magistrate’s decision comes within the scope of the so-called “ADPF das Favelas” and reaffirms a determination from the beginning of 2022, which had been contested by the state governor, Cláudio Castro (PL), for imposing the use of body cameras on all personnel. police officer.

The Castro government had claimed that, in several places around the world, cameras are not used by special forces agents given the nature of their operations.

“It would not be productive to reveal the techniques of the special forces, their tactics and their equipment to criminals”, says an excerpt from the appeal presented by the state government that was denied by Fachin.

According to the minister, intelligence activities may not require the use of cameras, but these operations do not represent all the operations of BOPE and the Special Resources Coordination (Core), which is a specialized group of the Civil Police.

Mandatory use of the equipment began this Monday (8). In total, 12,619 cameras were implemented, in a universe of 13 thousand contracted units.

In a letter sent to the STF, the secretary of state of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, Colonel Luiz Henrique Marinho Pires, warned that guidelines observed by the entire international community regarding special operations point to the non-use of body cameras for external audits and/ or for the public disclosure of its activities.

“The criterion here is logic: it would not be productive to reveal your techniques, your tactics and your equipment to criminals. A matter of common sense and a special operations guideline”, said Pires.

In an excerpt from the document, Pires reinforces that the recordings could fall into the wrong hands, compromising the battalion’s performance.

“BOPE has standards of conduct in its terrain patrols, in boarding and disembarking armored vehicles, in progressing in high-risk areas, in the use of precision shooters for team safety, and special equipment, drones, aircraft and others, to combat organized violent crime. It is essential that criminals do not have access to the details of BOPE’s operations, since once they understand how special operators act, they will come to know their strengths and vulnerabilities up close, being able to adopt countermeasures to ambush teams. police officers and take the lives of their agents”, highlighted the secretary.

“ADPF das Favelas”

The Claim of Non-compliance with Fundamental Precept (ADPF) 635 was proposed, in November 2019, by the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) and NGOs linked to human rights. At least one of these NGOs has been accused of maintaining close links with organized crime.

In June 2020, within the scope of the ADPF, minister Edson Fachin banned police operations in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro during the health crisis caused by Covid-19.

As a result, the measure ended up giving space to strengthen drug trafficking activities in the city’s hills, including the intensification of tactical training for drug traffickers.

In February 2022, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) established a series of conditions for the police to resume operations in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Minister Fachin’s previous decision said that raids by security forces in poor communities to arrest suspects should only occur in “exceptional situations”. However, it was not clear what circumstances would allow the operations and what limits they should observe.