On an experimental basis, the São Paulo Military Police will begin taking captured fugitives directly to prison facilities instead of the traditional route through police stations. The new procedure applies to individuals with active arrest warrants — whether civil, preventive, or definitive in a closed regime — who are apprehended in the central region of São Paulo. The pilot program, effective since Wednesday (04/06), will be tested over the next two weeks in the jurisdictions of the 1st Section and Metropolitan Area Police Command 1 (CPA/M-1). According to the São Paulo Public Security Department, the new operational flow is designed to combat criminal recidivism and automate the transmission of information about detainees.
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Current Procedure
Under the current system, a captured fugitive is taken to a Civil Police station, where the arrest is formally processed. The individual is then transported to the Forensic Medical Institute (IML) for a forensic examination. Only after these steps is the detainee transferred to the prison system to await a custody hearing. This process requires the continued presence of both military and civil police officers throughout.
New Procedure
With the revised procedure under evaluation, fugitives apprehended by the Military Police will be taken directly to the IML and then immediately to the prison system. Information about the arrest will be sent automatically to the Civil Police, which remains responsible for official registration. The custody hearing will still be held within 24 hours, with transportation managed by the Penal Police.
Release of Police Officers
The change is expected to enable Military Police officers to return to patrol duties more quickly and allow Civil Police officers to focus more on investigative and judicial functions, according to the São Paulo Public Security Department.
Criminal Police
The new measure has drawn criticism from the criminal police, who are now responsible for presenting detainees to custody hearings at the Barra Funda Criminal Court within 24 hours. In a statement, the São Paulo Prison Police Union (Sinppenal, formerly Sifuspesp) argued that the measure violates the Penal Execution Law, which deems it illegal to admit detainees without an official commitment order. The union also warned that the change places prison officers in a state of legal uncertainty.
Analysis:
The new pilot program by the São Paulo Military Police — which allows fugitives with active warrants to be taken directly to prison facilities instead of Civil Police stations — aims to increase efficiency by reducing bureaucracy. The initiative is designed to free Military Police officers from patrol duties and enable Civil Police to focus on investigations. While operationally promising, this change raises significant legal concerns, particularly regarding potential violations of the Penal Execution Law, which mandates formal processing before incarceration.
The shift also increases the responsibilities of the Penal Police, who may now receive detainees with incomplete documentation, creating legal uncertainty and added risk. Removing the Civil Police from the initial custody process could weaken safeguards for detainees, raising concerns about transparency, mistaken identity, and possible abuse. Without clear legal backing and inter-agency coordination, the program risks generating more problems than it solves.
Sources: O Globo; G1; A Folha de SP; Metrópoles.
