Last week, two important developments regarding the state’s public security forces were reported. On Thursday (18/04), the governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, defined Colonel Marcelo de Menezes Nogueira as the new commander of the Military Police (PM), in response to the request for a change in command made by the Secretary of Public Security, Victor César. Menezes Nogueira, who headed the Coordination of the State Security Integration Program (Cproeis) in 2022, whose role is to strengthen partnerships with city halls to expand the police contingent in the municipalities, popularly known as “bico oficial” (a program that allows military police officers to work for city halls in their spare time), was chosen to lead the corporation. Furthermore, the Military Police announced on Sunday (14/04) the 100th arrest made using facial recognition since the beginning of using this tool.
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Liaison with Politicians
Behind the scenes, the strength of the new PM secretary is also linked to politicians: firstly, to Rodrigo Bacellar, president of Alerj. He denies that he worked to choose the new commander. Another force for Menezes’ appointment would have come from the Reis family, as the colonel was the Operational Coordinator of the Duque de Caxias Security secretariat. Transport Secretary Washington Reis praised Menezes but denied having helped Castro choose him.
New Group in Power
The exchange of Luiz Henrique for Menezes also represents a change in the political group in the PM, as the new commander is linked to the group of former secretary Rogério Figueredo. He and Brandão were promoted to colonels together under Figueiredo, during Wilson Witzel’s government.
Facial Recognition
The Military Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro also announced on Sunday (14) the 100th arrest using facial recognition in the state, since the tool began to be used. Suspect number 100 was detained by military police officers in Maré, in Bonsucesso, in the North Zone of Rio. The use of Video monitoring and Facial Recognition System technology began to operate on New Year’s Eve from 2023 to 2024.
The speed and precision of the system allowed the time between the alert issued and the approach carried out by police officers to be carried out in less than three minutes, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the technology in supporting police operations.
Integration with Vehicles
The tool is about to be integrated into all Military Police vehicles, with the installation of on-board cameras. This promises to increase real-time monitoring capacity and security across the region, allowing for even more agile actions.
Analysis:
It is possible to observe a series of important aspects in the appointment of Colonel Marcelo de Menezes Nogueira as the new commander of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police and in the successful implementation of facial recognition as a crime-fighting tool. Firstly, Nogueira’s choice to lead Rio’s PM comes at a crucial moment, where the war between militias and organized crime continues to happen and the Red Command keeps expanding.
The implementation of facial recognition as a technological tool to combat crime is also worth highlighting. The recent arrest of the 100th person using this technology demonstrates not only the effectiveness of the tool in identifying suspects but also the speed and accuracy of the system in assisting police operations. The fact that the approach occurs in less than three minutes after the alert is issued highlights the agility provided by technology, which is crucial in emergencies and crime prevention.
