www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Sunday morning I was in a taxi around 11am coming down 2nd ave. I noticed that within one block, with very few people in the area, I saw a group of 5 policia and another group of 4. Laura has certainly put more police on the streets of SJ,however it seems they coiuld be better utilized. I also see them in 4-5 person groups walking down Central. It seems to me that they could double their coverage and effectiveness if they worked in groups of 2 instead. (unless of course they were going for coffee and needed lots of company.

Is there a good doughnut shop on Central?

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" Omit no happy hour that may give furtherance to our expedition."

dammed if you do, dammed if don't

I see a lot of cops walking around in San Pedro as well. Does not make me feel any safer. From what I hear from some expats, some cops love shaking down gringos like you're a walking ATM machine. Of course, that's usually traffic stops from what I hear, and I don't drive as I don't own a vehicle....yet.

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Man I'm living life like a great white shark swimming with minnows! It's all about panocha, great scotch, fine cigars, loud-ass rock music and speed, speed, speed - plus spending as much time as possible in paradise on earth, Costa Rica!

My wingman & I were amazed at the police presence this past week. Groups of 2,3, or 4 were seen repeatedly in Barrio Amon & in the parks north of downtown. Often on our daily walk from the our home the La Amistad, we would encounter 2,3, or 4 different groups of police along Ave. 9.

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"cuz I'm a back-door man" Jim Morrison-1969

There is a police precinct two blocks from the Amistad. The police walk to their beats and to the precinct to go to work. If you understand their procedures and resources it makes sense. Be happy you see them. Having been a cop for 25 years in Atlanta I don't fault them for being different. Atlanta had roll call at the central headquaters building until the mid 70s. At watch change there was nobody patrolling the outskirts of the city. As far as shaking tourists down, the city police are very rarely guilty of this. The traffic police are a different story. Several of them have gone to jail for this recently. Can they do things better? No doubt but I don't think we have earned the right to criticize. Plenty of corruption exists in law enforcement in the USA and you can easily be a victim in any major city.

Hey Bob...how long you lived here?? You should be used to the inefficiency...
My experience has been a bit different. I've been robbed twice in CR and both were motorcycle police. Now this was four years ago and since then, have a lot of good to say about the CR police and the job they have been doing around downtown in the last months. It used to be a problem for guys walking around downtown to have the police stop, search and look for a bribe but the govt. got serious about it and now, seems solved. I don't even see many gringos stopped for passport checks which used to happen all the time.
On the transit police issue, I've been stopped three times in total. Twice, I was given a lecture about driving in Costa Rica and let go with no mention of a bribe or anything. Just seemed they were really interested in 'helping' me with driving in Costa Rica NOT trying to cause problems. The one ticket I did get, the transit policeman explained to me how to go and fight it and said that all of them were being dismissed by the court as they were writing them just to put people on notice not to enter San Ramon with a left-hand turn in the western entrance.
Be honest, longer I'm here (working on year 5), more respect I have for the job both police and transit are doing at least in my personal experiences. Also agree with Pops, there are good and bad everywhere. Not all police/transit are bad but they aren't all good either...just human.

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The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

Simple economics. Why wouldn't you be corrupt with what they pay cops here? Would you put your life in jeopardy over $500 per month?

We call them Doughnuts and they call them Hamburgers down there.

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Now, I am back in the game!

+1

They often encounter a group of 3-5+ teenage hoods and don't want to be outnumbered.

I don't go downtown much anymore but the last times I did, I did notice they were no longer bothering Gringos.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

The problem in Costa Rica is not the lack or too much of cops, its the court system as every criminal that gets busted, goes to court, gets set free and then is back on the street to do more mayem.

I've been living here for close to 8 years. I think our lady Laura has done a good job increasing the numbers of policia. My point was that now that they have the numbers,they should use the resource better. There is no need for multiple groups of 4-5 police,on Central at 11 am on a Sunday. How about some of these men and women being placed in the Gulch at 2am on a Thursday,Friday or Saturday nights.