Dark of the City: An In-Depth Investigation of a Large-Scale Police Corruption Scheme in Rio de Janeiro

• In Event: Euroc - Corruption across the globe (2)

Abstract

Police corruption is a challenging yet consequential topic of research. Investigating it is even more urgent in regions with high rates of violent crime, entrenched presence of organised crime groups, and widespread distrust in police forces. The metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro is such an area; over the past two decades, it has witnessed an intense debate on the involvement of police officers in systematic extortion and corruption. Yet, academic research has faced significant challenges in elucidating the scope and dynamics of these issues. This paper contributes to this effort by exploring in depth a historical case of a large-scale corruption scheme within Rio’s Military Police. Through qualitative analysis of judicial and internal police documents, this paper provides a pioneering and detailed account of the features of this scheme, highlighting the scale of officer involvement as well as available details about its internal dynamics and the effectiveness of prosecutorial efforts. By providing one of the first academic analyses of large-scale police corruption in Rio, this investigation offers much-needed insights into the features of this crime and potential ways to prevent it.

Author

• Andrea Varsori, University of Huddersfield, UK