{"id":15566,"date":"2026-08-14T14:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=15566"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:54:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:54:47","slug":"mayor-defends-panama-municipal-police-amid-lawsuits-sparking-national-legal-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/mayor-defends-panama-municipal-police-amid-lawsuits-sparking-national-legal-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Defends Panama Municipal Police Amid Lawsuits Sparking National Legal Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Panama municipal police force has become the focus of a deepening constitutional dispute as Mayor Mayer Mizrachi defends expanded authority to search, detain, and temporarily hold individuals. Panama’s Supreme Court <\/a>recently admitted an unconstitutionality claim against Agreement 162, the June 17, 2025 regulation that created that broader mandate, placing the future of local policing powers before the country’s highest tribunal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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president mulino leading meeting by presidencia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Presidential Opposition and Legal Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino has not hidden his disapproval of the new municipal police model<\/a>. In a public message, the president argued that municipal forces were originally created to protect parks and monuments, not to function as a parallel police agency. He warned that allowing each mayor to adopt similar rules could produce chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I am against the new concept of municipal police. That was born to take care of parks and monuments and cannot be transformed into another police force. Besides being unconstitutional, each mayor could do the same and it would be a disaster, apart from the uniforms that are confused with SPI.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mulino added that he hopes the agreement gets struck down by the courts. The Ministry of Public Security has also objected and presented a nullity demand before the Supreme Court. Earlier, the National Police filed another unconstitutionality challenge, but the court declined to admit it. More recently, the high court accepted a claim from lawyer and deputy Ernesto Cede\u00f1o, ensuring the legal question will be examined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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mayor mizrachi municipal private police taken from social media<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Panama Municipal Police Role Defended as Complementary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Mayor Mizrachi<\/a>, the controversy misses a basic point. He dismissed the criticism as pure “politicking” and insisted that municipal agents do not intend to replace the National Police but rather complement security work coordinated with the Ministry of Security. The legal fight over Panama municipal police powers comes as the capital’s mayor seeks to position local agents as an additional layer of public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mizrachi noted that the force has existed for 30 years and that similar bodies have operated in other municipalities for more than a century. He placed security as a top concern for residents, second only to unemployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It is a police force that existed 30 years ago and has been present in other municipalities for more than 100 years. So I think we really need to focus on what matters. Politicking exists, and people’s needs exist. After unemployment, security is the number two concern for citizens.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The mayor also said municipal officer actions are coordinated with the Ministry of Security and aligned with national agencies, despite the ministry’s formal objection to the expanded powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alcald\u00eda
The Hatillo Building is located on Justo Arosemena Avenue and Cuba Avenue and between 35th Street and 36th Street East, Panama City, in the Calidonia District, Panama City. – Alcaldia Municipal building By Nacionpty507pan – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=94907469<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Violent Protest Raises Questions About Officer Conduct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tensions around the municipal force intensified after a protest by former Panama City employees demanding payment of a seniority bonus. During that demonstration, an altercation between a municipal agent and a former worker left the ex-employee with a severe head injury and cerebral hemorrhage. The person remains hospitalized in critical condition according to information supplied by authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mizrachi later acknowledged failings in the conduct of some municipal police officers and said suspensions were being evaluated following the incident. That admission cast further doubt on the readiness of the force to exercise preventive powers under the new agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n