From Guerra Sucia to Gatillo Fácil: Violence and the Argentine Federal Police
Twenty years ago, Argentina made the transition from an authoritarian
dictatorship to a freely elected democracy. As a response to the state sponsored terrorism
of the military regime’s “Dirty War” against subversion, the new democratic regime
implemented institutional reforms and pursued a strategy of transitional justice. These
strategies included criminal trials against former military junta leaders and a truth
commission set up to investigate "Dirty War" disappearances. These reforms and
transitional justice strategies represent an effort to prevent a return to the authoritarian
practices of the previous regime, which included state sponsored repression, torture and
the disappearance of political dissidents, intellectuals, unionists and students.
Despite efforts to prevent the continuation of repressive tactics used by security
forces during the “Dirty War,” police violence continues to plague Argentina two
decades after the fall of the military regime. The most notorious examples of this
continuation of police violence can be found in the Federal Capital and in Greater Buenos
Aires, where the Buenos Aires Provincial Police and the Argentine Federal Police have
jurisdiction. This study focuses on the city of Buenos Aires and the Argentine Federal
Police. The Argentine Federal Police are the only police force with jurisdiction in the
Federal Capital of Buenos Aires. Created in 1943 out of the Capital Police, the Argentine
Federal Police have a long history of involvement in political repression, espionage and
torture. During the military regime (1976-1983), the Federal Police fell under the
jurisdiction of the Armed forces and participated in the "Dirty War." Under the new
democratic governments, the Federal Police are subordinate to the National Executive's
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