海角大神

There鈥檚 consensus in Rio de Janeiro that police corruption and criminality must be reduced. What we don鈥檛 know is if it鈥檚 possible to achieve this to a significant degree in an environment where politicians tomam posse (take possession [of office]) and then bring in trusted people to occupy cargos de confian莽a (posts of confidence).

Widespread corruption and scant trust in society at large mean that every deed and every word, especially on the part of public figures, requires the interpretation of a Torah scholar. Even the media, with needs that don鈥檛 always match those of readers and viewers, cannot be trusted.

Thus we get tweets such as this one, from former State Public Safety Secretary Marcelo Itagiba: 鈥淣ew commander changes everything once again. One dum-dum steps down and another one takes his place. Institutional instability. There鈥檚 no line of action. Only a changing of the guard.鈥� Mr. Itagiba served under Governor Anthony Garotinho, accused of corruption and .

Because reading between the lines is a time-consuming process, most people either mistrust all information unless it comes from a close friend or relative 鈥� or they turn to conspiracy theory. Like gossip, theories are easy to invent and spread. And a conspiracy theory is occasionally correct.

So it could well be that, as Itagiba and many other observers posit, the new public safety policy is mere window-dressing for Governor $茅rgio (this is how Itagiba writes his name) Cabral鈥檚 money-grubbing. After all, his dubious connections, long suspected, .

In his tweets, Itagiba suggests that current Public Safety Secretary Jos茅 Mariano Beltrame is in on both arms of the theory. Others believe he鈥檚 trying to do his job, but is at odds with the governor. Thus Thursday鈥檚 change in police chiefs brought speculation about whose man is or was whose, the secretary鈥檚 or the governor鈥檚.

Then, , including the key post of police pacification commander, sparked new doubts and provided new information. If this is window-dressing, it鈥檚 pretty fancy stuff. Or, as the O Globo headline reads, it鈥檚 a crisis.

Or part of a long-term process?

Colonel M谩rio S茅rgio Duarte was police chief for so long 鈥� two years! 鈥� that it鈥檚 easy to forget that Mr. Beltrame has changed chiefs several times. In January 2008, . This is probably when the police pacification strategy was being drafted. .

Mr. Duarte would most likely have lasted longer, if he hadn鈥檛 chosen a . Also, if, unlike many other public officials, he hadn鈥檛 perceived himself as being responsible for the choice and all that it implied.

Colonel Ribeiro Costa Filho, Beltrame鈥檚 fourth police chief (and one also forgets that Beltrame himself has steadfastly been in office since January 2007, when Governor Cabral first took office), . He was pulled off his job as S茫o Crist贸v茫o battalion commander in 2003, after accusing the then State Sports Secretary of having asked him to go easy on Mangueira favela drug traffickers. That year he won a 鈥淔az Diferen莽a鈥� (Making a Difference) award from O Globo newspaper, for his whistle-blowing.

Interestingly, that same secretary, who goes by the personalist moniker of Chiquinho da Mangueira (Mangueira Frankie), is . So Ribeiro da Costa Filho may be bumping into his nemesis in halls of state. But rivalries and enmity are nothing new in those parts.

At any rate, the new chief鈥檚 personnel decisions indicate that he and Beltrame are making the most of this unforeseen opportunity to choose their associates in the tasks of reducing police corruption and criminality, as well as reducing crime committed by those outside the force.

An Oct. 2 page 23 O Globo article, not available online, by seasoned police reporter Vera Ara煤jo, describes the selection process: 鈥淚t was from a business administration course 鈥� that Beltrame drew management concepts in choosing the new military police czars鈥� recruitment, selection, leadership, and motivation.鈥�

See what you want to

It鈥檚 impossible to be sure what all these changes mean, and it will be especially interesting to see what the switch in command of the police pacification program will portend. A police specialist says that the new commander, Colonel Rog茅rio Seabra, has 鈥漚 community police profile, believes in a dialogue with society, and is good at public relations鈥�.

As the earth turns, it will be helpful to keep in mind that whatever it is that Rio鈥檚 police are doing, for better or worse, is in large part a reflection of the rest of society. As the police change their values and behavior, as Beltrame says he wants them to do (as do we), all of us may be called on to review our own.

We don鈥檛 see things as they are. We see them as we are.

鈥� Talmud

is an analysis of the new police personnel, by O Globo blogger Jorge Antonio Barros.

--- Julia Michaels, a long-time resident of Brazil, writes the blog Rio Real, which she describes as a constructive and critical view of Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 ongoing transformation.