Rio's current situation in the favelas (Police Pacification) is an opportunity for the police foces here to reinvent themselves. Rio's police have been largely feared by the public for a number of reasons - the Tropa de Elite films tell some of the stories...
I hope that the police rise to the occassion and that a few bad apples don't manage to spoil the bunch.
There are signs of hope.
The other day, the Canadoca and I inadvertently walked through a large crowd of police officers with large guns setting up for some sort of exercise or operation. I was a bit nervous, then glanced over at one point to see the majority of them staring at my daughter with broad grins, waving frantically at her trying to get her attention with their huge, in some cases tattooed arms as their assault rifles dangled from their shoulders. What a photo that would have been... I chuckled to myself but noted that they must be looking for someone scary and we should get out of there..... then continued on to a main street to be met with more police pulling over vehicles, directly in front of me, an officer first just drew, then pointed his gun at a motorcyclist he was pulling over. I backed away, then the group of officers I'd just passed, noticing my hesitation, sent over the biggest representative to accompany the Canadoca and I through the situation, telling me I could pass and it was fine and perfectly safe. By this point the officer and the motorist he'd just pointed the gun out were old buddies, thumb's upping each other before the motorist was on his way....
I've become accustomed to seeing guns and big ones at that, but pointed guns still really creep me out.
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