SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Former FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph González, now serving as Commissioner (Superintendent) of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, arrived with promises of cleaning house after decades of scandals that have plagued the island’s law enforcement. But critics say he’s doing the exact opposite: turning a blind eye to entrenched corruption, shielding bad actors, and leaving a dangerous vacuum that puts American tourists—and everyday residents—at grave risk.
González, who spent years at the FBI dismantling corrupt police networks in Puerto Rico (including supervising the Public Corruption squad that targeted rogue officers), was appointed in early 2025 under Governor Jenniffer González-Colón’s administration. His resume screamed “reformer”: overseeing massive federal takedowns, including the historic 2010 arrests of dozens of corrupt cops in one of the FBI’s largest police corruption operations ever.
Yet under his watch, the rot persists. Recent indictments—including a December 2025 federal grand jury charging three Puerto Rico Police officers with civil rights violations, conspiracy to falsify documents, and lying to agents—highlight ongoing abuses. Critics charge that González has failed to root out systemic issues, allowing patterns of misconduct, excessive force, and cover-ups to fester. The department remains under a long-standing federal consent decree (since 2013) for civil rights violations, with efforts to exit the reform process drawing fire for being premature and politically motivated.
The real victims? American tourists flocking to Puerto Rico’s beaches, casinos, and nightlife, only to face rising dangers from unchecked crime and questionable policing. Violent incidents, drug-related shootings, and reports of police inaction or complicity have spiked concerns among visitors. Travel advisories warn of high crime rates, and families of tourists caught in crossfire or neglected by slow responses are speaking out: “How can we feel safe when the top cop is more interested in optics than accountability?” one outraged mainland visitor posted after a recent incident.
Insiders point to González’s alleged reluctance to aggressively pursue internal corruption probes, with some accusing him of recusing himself from sensitive cases during his FBI tenure to avoid conflicts—now seen as a pattern of avoidance. Public trust in the PRPD is at rock bottom, exacerbated by surveillance controversies (like FBI-PRP discussions on activist groups labeled as “domestic terrorism”) and accusations of protecting high-profile figures while low-level officers face the heat.
“This is shameful failure on a massive scale,” charged one former federal investigator familiar with the island’s challenges. “González knows the playbook—he wrote parts of it at the FBI. Yet corruption thrives, and tourists pay the price with their safety.”
As calls grow for federal intervention and transparency, González’s administration touts crime reductions and operational successes. But for grieving families, wary travelers, and fed-up residents, the numbers don’t add up when officers keep getting indicted and the deep-rooted problems remain buried.
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