How has militarizing police affected democracy across Latin America?

The trend of law enforcement militarization is increasingly common globally. This article examines the specific case of Latin America where military forces often replace civilian police or assume their duties (constabularization). We first unpack this concept, then analyze its political consequences in the region by comparing it to expected outcomes from theory and previous studies.

Militarization Context: Three areas are key:

• The shift towards constabularization (military taking civilian police roles)
• 💯 Extent Outside US: Latin America's significant militarization trend
• 🔍 Political Consequences Assessment: Evaluating impact on democracy

We show that in Latin America, the distinction between military and civilian law enforcement has largely disappeared. This shift has eroded democratic institutions by undermining citizen security, human rights protections, police reforms, and the overall legal order.

This research demonstrates a clear connection between militarized policing systems and democratic backsliding across multiple countries.