National District.- The National Police awarded the decoration “Order of Police Merit” to prominent members of the institution, as well as officials, businessmen and journalists who have contributed to the development of the entity and Dominican society.
The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of the Interior and Police, Faride Raful, and the general director of the National Police, Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta.
Among the honorees, who received the medal with a green badge for their contributions, the former directors of the Police, Bernardo Santana Páez and Rafael Guerrero Peralta, who were applauded for their work and dedication to the institution.
The former chief of the National Police, Lieutenant General Bernardo Santana Páez, was decorated for his achievements and great work at the head of the entity. The event took place in the National Police Auditorium, as part of the commemorative activities in honor of the institution’s patron, San Judas Tadeo.
The decoration was conferred by the Executive Branch, at the recommendation of the National Police, in recognition of years of service and support to the institution.
At the ceremony, several key collaborators in the police reform and modernization process were also recognized, such as Mu-Kien Adriana Sang Ben, president of the Educational Police Reform Commission; Elena Viyella de Paliza, from the Executive Commission for Police Reform; and retired general Luis Ernesto García Hernández, commissioner for Police Reform, among other prominent professionals and officials.
Bernardo Santana Páez’s career
In 2005, Bernardo Santana Páez was appointed head of the National Police by the then President of the Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna. During his two years in office, he managed to significantly reduce crime rates.
In 2006, the homicide rate dropped to 17 per 100,000 residents, and in 2007, it dropped further to 10.4 per 100,000 residents. A study by the consulting firm Mercer in 2008 classified Santo Domingo as the safest city in Latin America, highlighting its management.
Santana Páez, the only police chief to reach the rank of lieutenant general since the founding of the National Police in 1936, has also dedicated much of his life to teaching at institutions such as the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) and the Pontifical Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), among others, on issues of criminal procedural law and criminal investigation.
