Santo Domingo.– The Alianza País, Frente Amplio and Opción Democrática parties demanded this Wednesday that the Government promote a structural transformation of the National Police, following the death of 19-year-old Darlin Enmanuel Mercado Reyes, which occurred in the La Cañada de Guajimía sector, in Herrera, Santo Domingo Oeste, allegedly at the hands of a police officer.
During a press conference, leaders Guillermo Moreno, María Teresa Cabrera, and Miguel Alejandro Martínez described the event as a sign of a structural problem within the law enforcement institution and demanded an end to impunity in cases of police violence.
While reading a joint statement, Moreno maintained that the death of Darlin Mercado does not constitute an isolated incident and stated that in the first six months of 2026, some 147 people have died in National Police interventions, a figure which, as he indicated, exceeds the 122 cases recorded in the same period last year.
Political organizations denounced that, in addition to deaths in police operations, reports of arbitrary detentions, physical assaults, torture, abuse of authority, and illegal appropriation of property persist, situations that, in their view, continue to be favored by impunity.
We recommend reading:
More Read
In that sense, they filed four lawsuits against the Dominican State. The first consists of clarifying the Darlin Mercado case and ensuring that the person responsible faces the corresponding legal consequences.
Likewise, they requested the initiation of a vetting process for the National Police that includes the psychological re-evaluation of armed personnel, as well as more active action by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving police officers.
Finally, they called on the Government to replace the current police reform with a structural transformation of the institution, aimed at strengthening transparency, eradicating corruption, and consolidating a community and preventive policing model that guarantees respect for the fundamental rights of the citizenry.
