UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Policing as a Vocation: Centralization, Professionalism, and Police Malfeasance in Latin America A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Diego Esparza June 2015 Dissertation Committee: Dr. David Pion-Berlin, Chairperson Dr. Harold Trinkunas Dr. Marissa Brookes Copyright by Diego Esparza 2015 The Dissertation of Diego Esparza is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgement A Dissertation can be a lonely enterprise. But it does not have to be. My dissertation is the product of my own work that could not have been completed without the support of three groups of important people: mentors, colleagues, and family. Thank you all for your love, patience, friendship, and encouragement. I was accepted into UC Riverside in 2007 and wanted to come here to work with David Pion-Berlin. He was the mentor of one of my favorite professors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Craig Arceneaux, who I thank for introducing me to civil-military relations. While at UCR, David has been the greatest source of intellectual support that I could have asked for. He has mentored me in writing, research, and on the stressful journey through the job market. A very special thanks to you and Lisa, for none of this would be possible without you. Marissa Brookes and Harold Trinkunas, thank you for kindly accepting to be on my search committee, and providing excellent feedback and support, without which I am sure I would not have been able to get a job. Yuhki Tajima and Will Barndt, your impact on me cannot be understated. Thank you for taking time out of your lives to help me become a better, and more professional political scientist. Ben and Laura Bishin have been great friends and mentors to me and my wife, and we appreciate all that you have done—Go Kings Go! My graduate experience at UCR was shaped by various professors who each imparted a bit of their knowledge in me, and I am eternally grateful. Martin Johnson, Bronwyn Leebaw, John Laursen, John Cioffi and John Medearis, you are all great individuals and professors who have helped me to think in ways about the world that I iv would have never been exposed to otherwise. This is a great gift you have given me that you continue to give to others, and I thank you. Maiah Jaskoski, thank you for hiring me to be your research assistant, for being a mentor, and for your enthusiastic support. I want to thank my friends Kevin Nasseri and Eileen Chai, who suffered with me through my first two years of graduate school, and who supported me through difficult times, especially during comprehensive exams. To the Rebel Alliance of James Cemo, Allan Colbern, Kevin Sitz, Cale Crammer and Micheal Prather. You are the best cohort ever, and the best friends I could have hoped to meet in Riverside. To Antonio Ugues, Tommy Wong, Masa Omae, and Dino Bozonelos, you were awesome informal mentors whose words of advice helped me navigate graduate school. Thanks to Steven, Kerah, and Luda Cauchon—for being buddies. To Carrie Skulley, Collin Grimes, Sean Brown, Leslie Cox, and Justine Ross for being friends and keeping me entertained when I needed a break from work. To Sara Palmer and Tanya Wine, for putting up with all my questions and anxiety about administrative things. The dissertation itself could not be completed without funding. I want to thank the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California in San Diego for supporting my research through the Herbert K. York Fellowship from 2013-2014. I also want to thank UCR’s graduate division, and Dean Childers, for a Fee Waiver Fellowship from 2013-2014, and the UCR Political Science Department for their grant to travel to Mexico in 2014. My field work could not have been done without the help of all the people I have interviewed. They are too numerous to list, but I want you to know how deeply I appreciate v your time and help—gracias a todos. My work in Chile greatly benefited from the support of the Instituto Nacional de Asuntos Publicos de la Universidad de Chile. While there, Jaime Baeza proved to be not only a gracious host, but also a good friend who helped me understand the politics of Chile and their police. Furthermore, Marcos Robledo was the gatekeeper whose names and phone numbers allowed me access to a wealth of knowledge by key actors in the Chilean political and policy arena. Ale Mohor was critical in gaining access to not only Chilean interviews, but also interviews in Colombia and in Mexico. I thank all three of you for being my Chilean family while I was down there. Cheers to you, till we meet again. In Colombia, I want to thank Estella Baracaldo, Lieutenant Colonel Yed Milton Lopez, and Major Yesenia Mahecha for speaking with me and providing me with access to a great deal of information about the Colombian national police. In conjunction, Lieutenant Juan Aparicio was a great friend, host, and academic compatriot. You all opened my eyes to how beautiful and gracious the people of Colombia are, despite the political hardships you have endured. In Mexico, I want to thank Georgina Rojas, David Crow, and their two boys for being a source of comfort. Not only are you great academics and friends, but you are also great parents. I want to thank Juan Salgado from CIDE, Antia Mendoza, Carlos Flores, Ambar Varela, Ernesto Lopez-Portillo and Maria Eugenia Suarez de Garay for taking time to speak with me. Finally, I want to thank my family. I want to thank my mother for being the kindest, nurturing, patient, and intelligent mother in the world. I was so lucky to have you in my vi life. You gave the best hugs, had the best smile, and showed me how to love. To my dad and brother Benito for instilling in me a hard work ethic and stubborn attitude, showing me how to hustle, and for teaching me to work smarter and harder. To Fabiola for stepping into my life when I needed someone. I thank God every day you are here, even though I do not visit you as often as I should. You, Clint, Ian, and Jasmine have been a joy in my life and a great source of comfort in this difficult journey. To Adan, Fabiola, Julissa, Emmanuel, and Damian, I love you all very much, and you have always been supportive and loving. I enjoy our time together, and wish that I had taken advantage of your open invitations more often. Adan, you are a great man, and someone that I hope to emulate someday as a husband and father. But I am still better looking than you, and it is in writing so it must be true. Luisa, I love you so much. I feel like you give the second best hugs in our family, and I thank you for that because I really needed them sometimes, even though I acted like I didn’t. Sophia and Christian are lucky to have a mother like you in their lives, and I am lucky to have you as a sister. The 49ers are terrible, and it’s in writing so it must be true. Espy, I am so proud to call you my sister. You have taught me what it means to be a kind and optimistic individual. I will remember Hawaii as a great time when we really bonded forever. I want to thank you for that and for trusting me with being your friend too. Jonathan, Mathew, and Michael have a guardian angel in you. I miss you very much; thank you for your support. To Eva, Yusuf, Andrew, Kevin, and Vanessa, your support and friendship was always valued and I thank you. I will always love you no matter what. To Choco and Mimi Esparza-Silva, for the cuddles, barks, walks, love, and companionship vii (You are dogs so you can’t even read this, but if you could, I would put you to work as research assistants). I leave my wife to the end, not because she is the most recent addition to my family, but because she merits her own section. You are my best friend. You have suffered through this program with me in the lowest periods, and have joined me in celebration of important accomplishments. You listened to me practice presentations, proof read my articles, and probably know more about police than I do by now. You remind me to be happy, to laugh at silly things, to be open with how I feel, and to stop and feed the seagulls. You have made me a better human. Thank you for marrying me and for teaching me what it’s like to look at the world from a different perspective. I can truly say that I look forward to the rest of my life because I know you will be beside me along the journey. Thank you for being a friend…down the road and back again. viii Dedication To Altagracia Lopez de Esparza. I miss you. To Andrea Silva. I love you. ix ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Policing as a Vocation: Centralization, Professionalism, and Police Malfeasance in Latin America by Diego Esparza Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Political Science University of California, Riverside, June 2015 Dr. David Pion-Berlin, Chairperson Police in Latin America have a history of protecting and serving their own interests (i.e.