Power relations

Relations of power: community participation in the supervisory bodies of police work in Ceará

Abstract

What does it mean to be modern when it comes to police activity? This article presents the result of a research that discusses the issue of community participation in the police work inspection bodies, through the complaints made to the Criminal Justice and Public Security Bodies of the State of Ceará. It tries to understand what is new and modern in the relationship between the leaders of the Community Councils for Social Defense / CCDS and the street police, delegates, officers of the Military Police and the Fire Department. The object of the research is built especially through field observation in the neighborhoods José Walter, Conjunto Esperança and Parque São Miguel of Fortaleza-Ce., From which it is possible to perceive the intricacies of relations between social actors in this process. Data related to cases of police violence and abuse of power sent to the Internal Affairs Office served as a basis to understand the volume of cases that are carried out monthly by the Internal Affairs Office, revealing an increase in complaints in the Internal Affairs Office from 1999 to 2004. Finally, These reflections on community participation in police work are concluded by discussing the concepts of participation and modernity in police activity.