Colonel José Juan García becomes the new commissioner of the San Juan Municipal Police

San Juan’s elected mayor Miguel Romero has elected Colonel José Juan García as the new commissioner of the San Juan Municipal Police.

Romero announced this this morning during a press conference, where he also made other agreements in his administration.

In this way, García will replace Colonel José Caldero, who was the commissioner under the rule of Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto. Romero will make the announcement official at a press conference this morning.

García is currently the area commander of the state police in San Juan, where he arrived last October when there were 28 murders.

The Police Commissioner, Henry Escalera, at the time asked him to accept the move from the Caguas area he had ordered to deal with the situation in San Juan after he managed to lead operations dismantling violent carjacking gangs , which reduced 19 homicides less in that area.

According to police statistics, San Juan currently reflects a decrease of 57 homicides compared to last year and a decrease of 38.46% in all crimes against life and property, in a year marked by the COVID pandemic -19.

Previously, García was an assistant commissioner in the Carolina area, as the right-hand man of Colonel Antonio López Figueroa, who was appointed as police commissioner by elected governor Pedro Pierluisi.

In his 34 years with the Uniformada, García has also led several districts and held security groups at the airport and the State Department.

The colonel has also led several investigative units. In addition to the Caguas Criminal Investigation Corps and Police Task Force with the federal Anti-Drug Agency (DEA), he also led the Caguas and San Juan Drugs Departments. He then founded the Police Drug Bureau, which he headed for three years.