The Puerto Rico Police Department has issued payments to 42 contract workers who provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual crimes, and other vulnerable populations. These workers had gone three months without pay due to issues with the government's new billing system and funds being held by the Office of Management and Budget (OGP).
The Police Department identified funds from another budget line to make the payments, totaling $336,300 for July and August. The affected contract workers include social workers who attend to victims of domestic violence at the Center for Operations and Processing of Protection Orders (Copop) and officials who process civil remedies and analyze statistics. The Copop is supposed to receive $2.6 million for professional services during the 2026-2027 fiscal year, but this money is being held by the OGP pending approval from the Fiscal Oversight Board (JSF).