In 1923, the Police Corps consisted of 8 officers and was understaffed. The first police station was an Aruban house located at the corner of Kazernestraat and Theaterstraat in San Nicolaas. It was used as an office and jail until 1939. After being taken over by the Public Works Service, it was torn down in 1950. The Oranjestad police station and jail were housed in the landmark Willem III Tower at Fort Zoutman and moved to larger facilities by 1967. The clock tower, which also functioned as a lighthouse until 1963, is now part of the Historical Museum of Aruba at the fort. The fire brigade was placed under the authority of the police from 1954 until 1977, when the forces were separated by the Minister of Justice. Motorcycle officers were added in the early 1970s.
Organization
Day-to-day operations is in the hands of the Commissioner of Police whom together with his deputies forms the Management Team, which consists out of the Deputy Commissioner of General Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Criminal Investigations and the Deputy Commissioner of Special Forces.
The KPA has stations in four district precincts located in Oranjestad, Noord, San Nicolaas, and Santa Cruz, where it is headquartered the Police Force also maintains a few community-tourism based post for better policing. Each precincts is headed by a Captain who reports directly to the deputy commissioner of general operations.
In times of instability and indecisiveness within the Police Force or whenever a Commissioner of Police retires or vacates the post, the Minister of Justice has the authority to appoint an Interim Commissioner of Police to serve until a replacement has been appointed. usually after a 1-year period. the current interim Commissioner of Police is Mr. Andrew S. Hoo, following Commissioner Richardson leave to vacate another post.
List of Deputy Commissioners
Mrs. Gertrude Hassell
Mrs. Vanessa Kock-Tjon *
Mrs. Irma Gordon *
*Yet to receive official promotion to the rank of Deputy Commissioner. current rank of Chief Inspector
Powers
The police have powers "ordinary" people do not have; e.g., an officer can stop or arrest people, or look in a shopping bag for lifted items, or search a home for arms. The police also have the power to use force. This power is often called the "monopoly on force". The police is one of the few organisations on the island that are allowed to use force, the use of which is bound by many rules and preconditions. The power to stop someone is often confused with the power to arrest someone. The power to stop someone is the power of the police to make someone stand still, so that the police can ask for his name and address. Stopping someone means holding the suspect while waiting for the arrival of the police. When someone is stopped, he is always brought to a police station for questioning.
Cooperating with other services
When providing aid the police cooperates with other services. When dealing with an accident for example, the police cooperates with ambulance services, doctors and the fire brigade. The police also cooperate with the Koninklijke Marechaussee stationed on the island.
Slachtofferhulp
For providing support to victims the police cooperates with Slachtofferhulp. The employees of Slachtofferhulp are specially trained to provide support to victims of accidents and crime. They make sure that victims are coached, but they also help with filling in forms for insurance or a lawyer.
Notable cases
Susan McCormick case
On February 10, 1996, the KPA faced the first recorded random homicide of a tourist on Aruba. 47-year-old Susan McCormick was an Americanbartender from Hampton Bays, New York who was found dead at a roadside near the Steamboat restaurant with a bullet in her neck and her wallet still on her person. Officials from the hotel where McCormick had been staying had reportedly told her family that she had died in a car accident. The police were initially puzzled and refused to publicly discuss the case, but told McCormick's sister Sharon Hoyt that there was no sign of a robbery. On February 16, three local youths aged 15, 18, and 19 were arrested after two informants came forward. One of the teens who intended to rob her waved a.38-caliber pistol, which accidentally fired, and fled the scene by car. McCormick's brother-in-law Jim Sofranko, who visited the site of the shooting in search of clues, stated, "I don't think they expected the gun to go off. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sofranko said the police told him of another case years ago in which a honeymooning groom killed his bride for the insurance money and that "this was the biggest case they ever had."
In October 1997, the Aruba Police Force arrested four men, including Eric and Alex Mansur of the powerful Mansur family, for extradition to the United States. They were among 85 individuals indicted in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico on federal charges of involvement in a Caribbeanmoney laundering ring following an FBIsting called Operation Golden Trash.
