{"id":500429,"date":"2026-02-18T18:57:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.net\/en\/uncategorized\/changes-in-the-national-police-directorate-2020-2026-reforms-challenges-and-controversies\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T18:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:57:26","slug":"changes-in-the-national-police-directorate-2020-2026-reforms-challenges-and-controversies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/changes-in-the-national-police-directorate-2020-2026-reforms-challenges-and-controversies\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes in the National Police Directorate (2020\u20132026): Reforms, Challenges, and Controversies"},"content":{"rendered":"Santo Domingo.<\/strong> Between 2020 and 2026, the National Police has gone through a period of transformations marked by changes in its leadership, attempts at structural reform, and public debates around the use of force and citizen security.\n\nDuring the administration of President Luis Abinader, four officers have headed the institution, each in a particular context of social pressure and demands for modernization.\n\n\n

Edward S\u00e1nchez Gonz\u00e1lez (2020\u20132021)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nMajor General Edward S\u00e1nchez Gonz\u00e1lez was appointed on August 16, 2020, as part of the first security changes of the new government.\n\nHis management coincided with several high-impact cases that generated national and international questioning. Among them are the murder of the couple in Villa Altagracia, the death of the architect Leslie Rosado \u2014 allegedly at the hands of a police officer \u2014 and other events that placed the institution under strong public scrutiny.\n\n\n
We recommend reading:Ram\u00f3n Antonio Guzm\u00e1n Peralta affirms that he delivered a “transformed” National Police after concluding his management<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\nCriticism focused on homicide levels and reports of excessive use of force. After just over a year in office, he was removed in October 2021, amid a process that sought to deepen police reforms.\n\n\n

Eduardo Alberto Then (2021\u20132023)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nOn October 17, 2021, Major General Eduardo Alberto Then assumed the direction, with the commitment to promote a more structured institutional transformation.\n\nDuring his management, internal controls were promoted, regional command reorganization, and programs aimed at improving citizen treatment. Although his administration was perceived as more technical and focused on administrative reforms, lethal confrontations continued to be recorded in operations, which kept the debate open on police action protocols.\n\nIn November 2023, he was honorably retired and subsequently appointed as a presidential advisor on security matters.\n\n\n

Ram\u00f3n Antonio Guzm\u00e1n Peralta (2023\u20132026)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nMajor General Ram\u00f3n Antonio Guzm\u00e1n Peralta assumed the directorship on November 14, 2023, by presidential decree.\n\nHis period was characterized by intensive operations against organized crime and common delinquency. However, the number of people who died in alleged exchanges of gunfire generated questions from social sectors and human rights organizations, who demanded greater transparency in the investigations.\n\nGuzm\u00e1n Peralta remained in office until February 2026, in accordance with the limit established in the Organic Law of the National Police (Law 590-16).\n\n\n

Andr\u00e9s Modesto Cruz Cruz (2026\u2013present)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nSince February 17, 2026, Major General Andr\u00e9s Modesto Cruz Cruz has headed the institution. Previously, he served as Inspector General and Director of Internal Affairs.\n\nHis arrival comes in a context of continuity of police reform, with emphasis on strengthening internal control mechanisms, the professionalization of the law enforcement body and the recovery of citizen trust.\n\n\n

You can also read:Retirement Committee of the National Police commemorates 22 years of service and institutional commitment<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Period of Transition and Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\nBetween 2020 and 2026, the National Police’s leadership has reflected a process of continuous adjustments in search of modernization and greater operational efficiency. The different administrations have faced the challenge of balancing citizen security<\/a> with respect for human rights and institutional transparency.\n\nChanges in the police leadership demonstrate both social pressure for profound reforms and the complexity of transforming a key institution for the democratic stability of the country.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Santo Domingo. Between 2020 and 2026, the National Police has gone through a period of transformations marked by changes in its leadership, attempts at structural reform, and public debates around the use of force and citizen security. During the administration of President Luis Abinader, four officers have headed the institution, each in a particular context […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-500429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-26br","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","dum_api":{"author_name":"Yerandi Santana","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-13-at-5.35.07-PM-96x96.jpeg","categories_name":["Uncategorized"],"featured_media_url":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500429\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}