COLUMN | Quo Vadis, Chile's Investigative Police?

The Investigative Police of Chile, which has operated under the PDI brand for several years, continues to catch my attention. It is common for it to rank among the top institutions in the Plaza Pública Cadem survey, despite serious issues that have affected it, such as those involving former Director General Sergio Muñoz, who, while leading the PDI, assisted the famous lawyer Luis Hermosilla by providing him with confidential information that was clearly obtained illegally. Additionally, his predecessor, Héctor Espinoza, was dismissed and prosecuted just days before completing the six-year term due to an apparently unjustified misuse of reserved funds that were allegedly intended for the purchase of a $400 million apartment.

What makes the PDI resilient and incombustible? This should be of public interest, as should knowing whether the prestige it has gained is genuine or merely the result of a well-executed brand positioning marketing strategy and effective corporate image management.

Next week, on June 19, the PDI celebrates its anniversary, marking 92 years since it was granted administrative autonomy, taking its final form in December 1942 when it separated from the identification and passport service (now the Civil Registry). It was not until 1979 that it received its first organic law, which, unlike the Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile, does not have constitutional rank, despite being recognized in Article 101 of the Constitution.

One of the distinguishing features of the PDI is that its Director General can serve for up to six years, and their successor can be selected from the top eight seniority ranks. This may not be of interest to the general public, but it sets them apart from Carabineros and the Armed Forces.

Another point of interest is that they are supposed to be a civilian police force, as clarified in the law granting them administrative autonomy, Law 5180 of 1933, which states that they are a civilian agency. Over the years, however, this distinction has blurred, as they have adopted practices and customs typical of the other police and armed institutions, such as ranks, uniforms, medals, and decorations, and participating in parades like the military parade. This may be due to their recognition in the constitution and their organic law as obedient, disciplined, and hierarchical, but who knows if that is a relevant issue. I find it noteworthy that over the years they have shifted from the image of civilian detectives previously seen on television to blue jackets with the PDI logo, which could be part of the repositioning exercise they have undertaken over the years and which has clearly been successful.

There are approximately 13,000 men and women, who, unlike other institutions, are classified under the officer rank, where there are about 9,000. The police assistants, now called police agents, or senior agents in the case of the more senior ones, hold a rank similar to that of the senior non-commissioned officers of Carabineros and the armed forces.

It is said that about 18,000 personnel are needed in the PDI to address Chile’s criminal reality, which is 5,000 more than the current number, but I am unaware of the ratio between officers and police agents that this number entails. Clearly, having a highly professional workforce incurs a higher cost, but it also brings greater effectiveness, which is evident in their work and the results they produce.

The organic law of the PDI, Law 2460 of 1979 and amendments until May 2025, states primarily that:

1. The Investigative Police of Chile is a professional, technical, and scientific police institution, part of the Order Forces, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, whose personnel shall be subject to a strict hierarchical and disciplinary regime.
2. The Investigative Police of Chile, as part of the State Administration, serves the community, and its actions will be directed towards the specialized investigation of all crimes, especially those that are complex and related to organized crime, contributing to preventing the perpetration of criminal acts and acts that threaten the stability of State agencies.
3. The fundamental mission of the Investigative Police of Chile is to investigate crimes in accordance with the instructions issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, without prejudice to the actions that, by law, it is required to carry out without specific instructions from the prosecutors.
4. It is especially the responsibility of the Investigative Police of Chile to contribute to maintaining public tranquility; to prevent the perpetration of criminal acts and acts that threaten the stability of fundamental State agencies; to comply with orders issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for investigative purposes, as well as orders from judicial authorities and administrative authorities in acts in which they intervene as special courts; to provide cooperation to courts with criminal jurisdiction; and to provide the necessary cooperation in compliance with ratified and current international treaties in Chile, including the exchange of personal data.

Clearly, as with all Chilean legal bodies, there are contradictory aspects, which is why I have indicated in the previous paragraph what I believe is most relevant regarding the PDI. Regardless of whether they perform well, they cannot simultaneously be an investigative police force while also being preventive, a situation that also occurs in Carabineros with OS7 and OS9, which are clearly not preventive.

In 2023, a legal amendment was introduced that seeks to focus the PDI on complex crimes and those related to organized crime, but in parallel, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is creating organized crime and homicide teams (ECOH). This is inherently contradictory since the fundamental mission of the PDI is to investigate crimes according to what the Prosecutor’s Office instructs them.

When we are seeking to be efficient and effective in combating crime, we cannot afford to allow the police or the Public Prosecutor’s Office to operate independently. We need to view things as an integrated system or process, which clearly is not happening today. Increasing the PDI’s personnel without addressing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is inadvisable. While both institutions may not have administrative dependencies, they should strive to maximize overall process effectiveness in the most efficient manner.

It is also inefficient to have the PDI carrying out court notifications or providing security for government officials, clearly tasks that have nothing to do with their primary purpose, which is to be the investigative police of Chile. I do not care if their school parades on the 19th, if they stop being a civilian police force, or if they militarize their forms and customs, but I find it inappropriate to employ them in functions unrelated to their duties.

That said, they currently have the best intelligence available in Chile, which could be even more efficient if they were provided with state-of-the-art technological solutions. They are good, very good, in terms of cybercrime investigations, an area where they could also be more effective if given the necessary budgets and technologies.

PFor the PDI, the -Quo Vadis?- has a very simple answer: baker, stick to your pastries. If they do that, they will avoid mishaps like those that occur when they are responsible for the protection of individuals like Monsalve, which in turn led to the departure of good professionals like the Director of Intelligence, or they will have more officers and police agents to combat criminals if they free themselves from escort and judicial service tasks. Chile needs them to focus on their duties and not waste time.

Richard Kouyoumdjian, Vice President of AthenaLab

June 11, 2025