One of the horses did not survive. Source: Fuerza Publica

Tracking down crooks and protecting the people of Costa Rica is procedural work for the brave men and women of Fuerza Publica, but versatility has become a priority for one of our country’s most visible public service organizations. Here’s a recap of recent actions by Fuerza Publica officers actively involved not only in chasing down outlaws, but also connecting with the communities they are sworn to protect.

ABANDONED BABY IN GOICOECHEA CANTON

In the early morning hours of this past Friday, July 20^th, a woman carrying a newborn baby approached the Fuerza Publica guardhouse in Setillal de Ipis, claiming that she had heard the baby crying and found him in an empty lot. According to Jorge Rodriguez, assistant chief of the Goicoechea detachment, the baby still had the umbilical cord attached. The situation was unusual to say the least, but the officers immediately alerted Red Cross volunteers who in minutes arrived to comfort the baby and to take him to a nearby clinic and later to the Children’s Hospital in San Jose. Agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (OIJ) are looking into the matter.

SMUGGLED AND NEGLECTED HORSES RESCUED IN UPALA

Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the northern border of Costa Rica found 30 deeply neglected horses during a security patrol. Livestock smuggling from Nicaragua is a known problem in our Northern Region, and the officers were specifically looking for evidence of rustling. What they found was a deplorable scene in an improvised barn just 800 meters from the border: all 30 horses were extremely malnourished and riddled with skin lesions caused by infestations of fleas, lice, ticks, etc. The officers immediately suspected smuggling, since in their experience they know that the ranchers of Upala take great pride in keeping their animals healthy. One of the Equus caballus perished on the spot, and the remaining 29 were turned over to the National Animal Welfare Service (SENASA).

TOURISM POLICE OFFICERS DISARM SHOOTER IN TAMARINDO BEACH

A man armed with a pistol was reported shooting into the air in front of a hotel in Tamarindo Beach, one of Costa Rica’s premier tourism destinations in Guanacaste. Tourism Police officers immediately sprung into action and took the man down, confiscating a semiautomatic pistol, two magazines, six rounds, and a marijuana cigarette. The suspect was turned over to prosecutors, and the motives for his actions remain unknown.

FUERZA PUBLICA OFFICERS REACH OUT TO CHILDREN

More than 200 schoolchildren visited the precincts and barracks occupied by Fuerza Publica in the Cathedral District of the capital city of San Jose as part of an initiative to teach the young about police and community work. The kindergarten-aged children were shown the equipment and vehicles used by the men and women in blue, who also provided the young students with more age-appropriate activities like face painting and dancing.

GOLDEN CITIZENS SERENADED IN ESPARZA

Fuerza Publica officers traded their service pieces and handcuffs for guitars and gave an impromptu concert to residents of the Carlos Venegas Moya and the San Vicente de Padua charitable retirement homes. The serenade was in appreciation of all the years that the elderly citizens of the Esparza canton in Puntarenas have given to the community. Retirement homes are not the norm in Costa Rica, as the elderly Ticos traditionally spend their golden years in the company of their families, but times are changing.