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Santa Ana Costa Rica Increase Police Officers

Costa Rica's municipality of Santa Ana, located west of San José, is getting 35 municipal police officers to patrol the area .

16 surveillance cameras will be strategically placed throughout the municipality, where officers will be cracking down on a burgeoning crime problem.

That's the plan, at least, according to Mayor Gerardo Oviedo. “The lack of police has been one of our residents' primary complaints,” he said. “We've got a serious problem with drug addiction, alcoholism, organized gangs of car thieves and assaults for cell phones.”

Oviedo, whose municipality reassessed local property values in 2007 to help come up with funding for a municipal police force, said 31 officers have already begun work and another four will begin starting work soon.

He said the 2007 assessment resulted in a roughly 20 percent increase in property values and of the 3,000 appraisals already conducted, there have been only 10 appeals.

“This is something the community has wanted for a long time,” he said. “There hasn't been a lot of resistance.”

Oviedo said the 35-strong police force will have two patrol cars, each with a shotgun, and two motorcycles. Each officer will be armed with a pistol.

The police office, where the surveillance cameras are being monitored, is in the municipal headquarters. They can be reached at 2203-5559.

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