First Class of Police Officers Assigned to HSI San Juan Graduates

The Puerto Rico Task Force Officer Course 24-01 Class is the first group of state and municipal police officers from Puerto Rico to be trained in the United States

PERRY, Ga. — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan graduated the first group of the Puerto Rico Task Force Officers Course, comprising 29 task force officers, 15 of whom are police officers from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau; five are from the Guaynabo Municipal Police, three are from the San Juan Municipal Police, one is from the Barceloneta Municipal Police, and another is from the Virgin Islands Police. Three agents from the Treasury Department and one agent from the Special Investigations Bureau also graduated. The course was held at the Guardian Centers of Georgia and lasted three weeks.

The Puerto Rico Task Force Officers Course is a specialized training course for criminal investigators that reinforces the fundamentals of state and municipal officers assigned to HSI San Juan focused on providing new tools to strengthen investigative mechanisms to investigate transnational criminal organizations that threaten the stability and national security of the United States. It is designed to develop students in various areas of HSI responsibilities and disciplines. This course includes classroom instruction, hands-on exercises and an eight-phase continuous case scenario involving real-life actors.

“My mission has always been to provide police officers assigned to HSI with the development and training necessary to continue their professional development,” said HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos. “In Puerto Rico, our reach as a federal law enforcement agency is amplified by the performance of our HSI police officers. We are so proud to be able to celebrate this graduation. After three weeks of physical and mental training, our police officers showed dedication, professionalism, and most importantly, brotherhood. We have 29 officers who excelled in the HSI investigations course who now have additional tools for fighting crime.”

HSI invested considerably in implementing the course, whose curriculum has been more than proven for years in the International Task Force Agent Training. The 29 students received specialized training in investigations, tactics and case management, including security operations, human smuggling and smuggling, investigative methods, defense tactics, general surveillance exercises, interviewing and interrogation, building entry, undercover operations, evidence management, cybercrime and more. However, it was the ongoing case simulating a real-life investigation that generated great interest among the students, including actors and a trial with the support of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico and the participation of Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Garcia.

Several heads of law enforcement components were present during the graduation ceremonies, including Public Safety Secretary Alexis Torres, Puerto Rico Police Bureau Joint Forces Director Captain Neidy Ortiz, Special Investigations Bureau Commissioner Rafael Freytes, San Juan Municipal Police Commissioner Juan Jackson and Barceloneta Police Commissioner Javier Cruz-Cruz. They also had the opportunity to watch the students practicing tactical exercises and see the academy's facilities.

The special guests commended HSI San Juan while agreeing on the importance of law enforcement in Puerto Rico working together as a team as a key element in the battle against transnational criminal threats.

“The union of state, municipal and federal entities is essential for the security of Puerto Rico,” said Torres. “I am extremely proud of all the police officers who demonstrated their capacity as law enforcement agents, putting the name of Puerto Rico on high.”

“This training and certification is another important step in the public safety efforts we are implementing in San Juan, together with the artificial intelligence elements we have added,” said San Juan Municipal Police Commissioner Juan Jackson Rodriguez. “An example of this is the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Department of Public Safety and the Municipality of San Juan, which will allow us to provide the police with the necessary training and certification.”

“For the Municipal Administration of Barceloneta and the Honorable Mayor Wanda Soler Rosario, it is of utmost importance that the personnel designated to be part of the Public Safety of our town and our country have the necessary tools to address issues of vital importance related to the prevention of criminal incidents,” said Cruz-Cruz. “The collaboration between the security state agencies so that their personnel are properly trained and qualified, makes us strong, agile and prepared to make a common front in the arduous and laudable task of fighting organized crime.”

The 24-01 class is the inaugural group of the Puerto Rico Task Force Officers Course program. In the future, HSI looks forward to offering this program to reinforce the foundation of HSI's law and order mission. For more information on HSI's mission in Puerto Rico and the United States, visit HSI.gov or call the HSI San Juan 24/7 Communications Center at 787-729-6969.