Special Law for Police Purge
Congreso Nacional
- Decree: 89-2012
- Published: June 12, 2008
- Issuing body: Congreso Nacional
- Category: Administrative
Summary
This law declares a national security emergency and allows the National Police Director to quickly dismiss officers who fail trust tests or performance evaluations, without the State being legally liable. It aims to remove corrupt or inefficient personnel from the police institution for six months to improve public safety.
Considerations
Whereas it is the duty of the State to maintain peace and interior security of the Republic and to provide security to all its inhabitants, safeguarding their individual rights through effective means within the limits, regulations, and norms established in the Constitution of the Republic and the Laws.
Whereas the crime rates in our country demand the strengthening of the actions of public entities dedicated to the prevention, combat, and investigation of crime. Especially, given that transnational organized crime has influenced national criminal groups to adopt its organized methods and apply modalities characteristic of international organized crime.
Whereas the objectives indicated in the preceding recitals can be achieved, in part, by strengthening the National Police with the appropriate tools that permit correct operational capacity, for which the adoption of the measures, actions, and powers established in this Decree is necessary.
Whereas it is urgent to substantially improve the actions of State institutions in matters of security to combat crime; a regulation is necessary that permits the immediate purging and internal strengthening of values in the National Police of Honduras to fulfill its institutional mission with efficiency.
Whereas it is imperative to declare a State of Emergency in Matters of Public Security, to contribute to reducing the levels of crime and violence, and it is necessary to take equally effective measures to respond to the demand of the citizenry for a trustworthy security agency that restores peace and tranquility to the Honduran people.
Articles
A State of National Emergency in the matter of Public Security is hereby declared with the objective of implementing in an expedited manner a swift and reliable purge process in the National Police, granting exceptional and temporary powers and attributions to the Director General of the National Police of Honduras, so that in coordination with the Secretary of State in the Office of Security may execute said process.
In an exceptional manner and for a period of six (6) months, the following are special attributions of the Director General of the National Police of Honduras, in coordination with the Secretary of State in the Office of Security: 1) To order with mandatory character for any member of the police career, the practice of trust evaluation tests, described in Article 18-A of the Organic Law of the National Police of Honduras, contained in Decree No. 67-2008 dated June 12, 2008. When the evaluated person fails any of the tests administered to him/her, this shall be cause for immediate justified dismissal from the National Police. 2) To evaluate the performance and efficiency of any member of the police career in the assigned functions, and based on the results thereof. When the evaluated person has not achieved the minimum requirements for the correct performance of his/her duties, it shall be cause for immediate justified dismissal from the National Police.
The dismissal of any members of the Police Career, resulting from the application of the measures, actions and powers established in the previous Article, shall not imply in any case or at any time, patrimonial responsibility for the State of Honduras, nor patrimonial, civil, administrative or criminal responsibility to the officials in charge of the application of this Decree. Said dismissals shall be notified immediately to the National Council of Interior Security (CONASIN).
During the validity of this Law, Articles 114 first paragraph, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and 132 of the Organic Law of the National Police of Honduras remain suspended in their validity.
Upon the expiration of this Decree and having achieved the objectives established therein, the Director General of the National Police of Honduras is ordered to, in coordination with the Secretary of State in the Office of Security, review and verify the labor conditions of the elements or members at all levels of the National Police of Honduras who continue providing their services to the police institution, in order to propose to the Presidency of the Republic, concrete measures or actions to improve their living conditions, which includes initiating the housing project for members of the Police Career contained in Decree No. 229-2011.
This Decree shall enter into force as of the day of its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic "La Gaceta". Given in the city of Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District, in the Session Hall of the National Congress, on the twenty-fourth day of the month of May of Two Thousand Twelve. JUAN ORLANDO HERNÁNDEZ ALVARADO PRESIDENT GLADIS AURORA LÓPEZ CALDERÓN SECRETARY JARIET WALDINA PAZ SECRETARY To the Executive Branch. Therefore: Be it executed. Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., May 25, 2012. PORFIRIO LOBO SOSA PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN THE OFFICE OF SECURITY. POMPEYO BONILLA
Related laws
- Reglamento — Reglamento Especial para Aplicación de Amnistía y Depuración Contable del IHSS según Decreto Legislativo No.112-2016 y sus extensiones
- Reglamento — Reglamento Especial para la Aplicación de Amnistía (No Pago de Recargos y Multas), Depuración y Saneamiento Contable del IHSS, según Decreto Legislativo No.44-2025
- Legislative Decree No. 112-2016 establishing the Special Regulation for the Application of Amnesty and Accounting Purge of the IHSS — This law establishes a special regulation that allows the IHSS to forgive outstanding debts from contributors and regularize its accounting. It benefits employers and workers who have overdue obligations with social security, allowing them to catch up through payment agreements and avoiding additional penalties. (Decree 112-2016, 2018)
- Special Legislative Decree for Extraordinary Temporary Regularization and Cleanup of Unusable Municipal Property (Decree 143-2026, 2026)
- Resolución No. CI-IHSS-027-2025-IV — Reglamento Especial para la Aplicación de Amnistía, Depuración y Saneamiento Contable del IHSS (Decree CI-IHSS-027-2025-IV, 2025)