General Santander National Police Academy - History

History

The institution was created by the Colombian National Police with the main function of instructing recruits to become officers, enlisted, agents, detectives and other technical and administrative services. It was formally restructured by the presidential Decree 343 of 21 February, 1940 during the mandate of president Eduardo Santos in an effort to shape the institution into a more efficient entity with the support of Decree 776 of 14 April which set the dotation needed per personnel, unified and assigned more objective functions to the police force. Decree 343 also set Luis Andrés Gómez as the first director of the institution, who assigned the staff personnel for it, as also established in the Decree 77610. One of his main purposes was to achieve a status of university for the Colombian policemen.

The institution initially offered four courses with the requirement of having a previous intellectual preparation, professional attitude, moral attitude and the vocation to become a policeman. Gómez also initiates a selection process to hire highly prepared Professors from the Law Faculty of the National University of Colombia, selecting Copete Lizarralde, Arturo Valencia Zea, Adolfo Vélez Echeverri, Augusto Sastre, Alfonso Ruiz Ojeda, Moisés Spath Nerel, Guillermo Meléndez Ramírez, José Alejandro Mantilla and Guillermo Fernández. Luis Alberto Pinzón directed the Studies Prefecture along with Ricardo Rodríguez Aranza, Francisco Bruno, Miguel Lleras Pizarro, Roberto Pineda Castillo, Ernesto Antolínez, José Manuel Mosquera, Enrique Vargas and Jorge Valencia. The first class was named Simon Bolivar in honor of El Libertador. Emiliano Camargo Rodríguez was assigned as the class commander and Luis A. Cárdenas and Rey Prato as section commanders.

The courses focused on instruction on civility, Colombian geography, Colombian constitution, Police code, Penal code and proceedings, typing, topography, Forensics, organisation and documentation, leadership school, military doctrine, Equestrianism and Hippology.

With the Decree 421 of 28 February, the Alumni Department is organized and assigned to the General Santander National Police Academy with the mission of forming professional National Police functionaries in its different areas, everything ruled by the Alumni Council.

Decree 1187 of 15 May established National Police ranks for detectives, in an ascendant order and depending on time in rank. Fourth Class detectives, 2 years in rank; Third Class detectives, 3 years in rank; Second Class detectives, 4 years in rank; First Class Detectives and Detective in Chief with an additional requirement of a major in law or previously been an Instructional Judge. Non-commissioned officers and sub-lieutenants were allowed as Fourth Class detectives if they reached the condition needed of being younger than 35 years old. By this same time a Detective Promotions board was established and conformed by the Director of the National Police, the Secretary of the National Police, the Director of the National Department of Security, the Director of the General Santander Academy and the Personnel Department Chief. These detectives were sorted internally into different promotional categories taking in consideration the time in grade, professional aptitudes, instruction and conduct observed during in the institution.

On 5 August, 1938, President Alfonso López Pumarejo officially inaugurates the General Santander National Police Academy Buildings. In 1939 the Alumni Department is created to lead the preparation, formation and education of the National Police regular personnel and improve administrative and technical services. By Decree 343 of 21 February, 1940 the Academy is finally organized.

Since the Colombian National Ministry of Education approved the academic programs of "Police Studies" and "Police Administration" by resolution Number 9354 of 25 October, 1976 the Academy is authorized to operate as a Higher Education Institution. Initially the Police Administrator formation was designed to go through a system of cycles lasting 20 weeks each. By the end of the fourth cycle the recruit changed of status, from cadet to sub-lieutenant (aka alférez) rank that would be held for 40 weeks more in order to receive the grade of "Police Administrator technician", then return to classes and go through the last three cycles in order to receive the title of "Professional Police Administrator" and receive further promotion to advanced rank grades; captain, major, etc.

The Academy always considers three fields for formation in its plan of study; professional, scientific/investigative and humane/social. Each field divided into subfields and subjects in order to achieve a speciality knowledge. by mandate of the Colombian Institute for the Promotion of Higher Education (ICFES) in resolution 1721 of 1982 the academy's license remains effective until 1987. By resolution 0161 of January 26 the National Police Directorate approves a new "Study Plan" which includes a renovated University formation program featuring an extension to the length of formation time to total an entire year.

By 1991 the Academy begins and develops the Police "professionalization". By resolution 02891 of October 2, 1991, The ICFES approves a reform to the "Study Plan" to change the name of "Police Studies Technology" into "Criminalistics and Police Technology", plan that would last until 11 September, 1997 when by resolution 02668, the Colombian Ministry of Defense and the National Police Directorate approve a new "Study Plan" that remains in effect. The new "Study Plan" program lasts for three years and it is distributed into six academic semesters. It contains two indoctrine fields: Police fundamentals and the complementary, this last one subdivided into legal, administrative and investigative areas.

The current curriculum is focused on improving essentially the professional police indoctrination on human rights, ethical and legal principles focused on civil liberties and warranties for Colombian citizens. By resolution 2252 of 17 August, 2000 the Academy was authorized to credit the Criminalistic (Forensic Sciences) Program.