Police Superintendent Joseph González confirmed Monday a change at the helm of the Police Reform Office in Puerto Rico. Commander Habib Massari Díaz will no longer lead the unit and is moving to new responsibilities at the Bayamón Police Area. González said the decision responds to the sensitive and trust-based nature of the responsibilities involved in directing the office.
To ensure continuity of ongoing work and projects, he appointed Captain José L. Rosa López as interim director; Rosa López currently serves as the Puerto Rico Police’s chief of personnel, and the office was already under his supervision. González said he will announce later who will formally take over the office’s leadership. He stated the determination was duly coordinated and notified to federal monitor John Romero and special master Alejandro del Carmen, both appointed by the federal court in San Juan.
Previous office heads included Clementina Vega Rosario, Rolando Trinidad Hernández and Carlos J. Figueroa Ortolaza. The Reform case began in 2012 through a US government lawsuit over civil rights violations by the Police; a year later Puerto Rico settled to sign the Agreement establishing the Reform, whose compliance evaluation began in October 2018.