CSIF Criticizes Santa Cruz Police Report Over Staffing Stagnation and Lack of Transparency

The CSIF union has criticized the capital’s Local Police annual report, recently presented by Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez. The union claims the report lacks a consistent statistical method, making it impossible to accurately track the force's effectiveness over time.

The union’s analysis points to a stagnation in staffing levels. Comparing current figures to those from twelve years ago, the number of operational officers has actually dropped slightly, from 310 in 2014 to 308 in 2025—out of a total force of 345. This is particularly concerning given that the police have taken on a wider range of responsibilities over the last decade, including environmental monitoring, urban planning enforcement, and social support services.

Beyond the static headcount, the force is aging, with an average age of 46.4 years, and has a lower percentage of female officers than it did in 2014. Meanwhile, the workload continues to grow. According to the CSIF, parking fines have increased by 21.2%, rising from 16,288 cases twelve years ago to 19,744 today. While road safety and radar activity remain stable, the total number of traffic violations managed has reached 29,665.

The union argues that the lack of clear, year-on-year data makes it difficult to hold the municipal government accountable. They contend that the report focuses more on a "narrative of modernization" than on a technical assessment of performance. The CSIF is now calling on the City Council to improve transparency by providing separate breakdowns for Citizen Security and Traffic services—areas that account for roughly 80% of the force. They argue that these stable indicators are essential to measure how the police are performing against their increasing operational demands.