By The Star Staff
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) is urging Governor Jenniffer González to approve House Bill 261, which aims to eliminate the Puerto Rico Public Safety Department (DSP) and restore autonomy to its constituent agencies.
Héctor Ferrer Santiago, the PDP spokesman in the House of Representatives, along with Representative Ramón Torres Cruz, made this appeal today. Ferrer authored the bill, which was filed on January 22, but it has yet to receive approval from the majority New Progressive Party (PNP).
“We are calling on the Governor to instruct her representatives in the House to support our measure. We have recently heard her express intentions to legislate for the elimination of the DSP. If there is genuine will to act, she simply needs to approve House Bill 261,” Ferrer Santiago stated.
He further emphasized, “Governor González needs to move beyond political rhetoric. This is about translating words into action and working towards the elimination of the Department of Public Safety in the legislature.”
Ferrer also highlighted, “The evidence is clear. Since the DSP’s inception in 2017, the PDP has maintained that integrating the Police into a department only adds bureaucracy and duplicates functions. Time has proven us correct.”
Representative Ramón Torres Cruz, a member of the PDP and the Security Commission in the House, added, “Today, the Governor expresses a desire to propose legislation for its elimination, but there is a bill already filed and awaiting legislative action. This is not about speeches or showmanship; it’s about public safety. Our delegation has done the work; we presented the bill, filed it, and we defend it because we know that the DSP has failed.”
Torres Cruz concluded by stating, “If the Governor is committed to this issue, she should not waste time with more speeches. Instead, she should direct her NPP delegation to approve our measure. The security of our country cannot be compromised by the inaction of the worst start to a government in Puerto Rico’s history.”