Violence in DR will only stop when the poor mass is given an opportunity to become part of the larger society. Poor Dominicans have long been negelected. Dominicans say born poor, stay poor with limited oppt to break the cycle of poverty. Now that has to change by providing quailty public school education and social programs for the poor. I feel DR is starting to take care of the poor with the Solidaridad program, universal healthcare, but much more has to be done. Those so called "nomillas" are no more than welfare checks that a political party pays to its supporters. Good idea, the thing that is wrong is that the program is hidden and not open to the entire Dominican society. I say make it an official social program for the poor and provide some type of monetary compensation for the poor or the disabled. Make it program for people to work and earn some govt money or use the funds to help the disabled, blind, etc so they can get a decent living as well.

As far as the police goes, I say definitely increase wages and have a high school diploma requirement.

Perfect Example of Police Corruption. Word on the street, is that they approached, the house with civilian clothes. Maybe they were out, to retrieve the money for themselves.

Retiran a 5 oficiales por las muertes de siete civiles
http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=57919

"There should be Increased fines and penalties for things such as 3-4 people on a motoconcho"

I agree with you Ladronazo, but its sad that they cannot afford a family car.

Actually, the bike's thing must be controlled. I don't mind 4-5 people in a bike. But you see a lot of bikes with 2 people traveling slowly near the sidewalks, observing suspiciously, going up and down in the streets of Santo Domingo. They should stop bikes more often to control.

If someone has more than a few cellphones, he should be arrested for robbery unless he can prove they were not stolen. Same with unlicensed guns.

Checkpoints and controls are things that must be used more often in the Dr. And I mean random checks, not the usual "redadas" that are always in the same spots...

Thank you Mr. President Kennedy You have made a very valuable point there. I recently relocated out here and I feel everything that all of ya'll are saying. The problem is that there is no unity and 85% of the pop is uneducated and fear exposure and prosecution for there voiced opinion.

Yes, education is the most important factor in all of this. There is another problem that goes in tandem. We Dominicans who immigrate to the U.S and other Developed nations do not reinvest in our communities. We are not proactive in the real issues of our country. We exacerbate the problems with our complacency, lack of initiative and inaction. Rather than investing in our local communities, We return to the Republic only to show boat our accomplishments and our materiality. We have no sense of social responsibility. We do not see ourselves as stakeholders in all decision and all matters "Dominican".

Then we have our moral conscious an dignity which has been tainted by years of dyspeptic political leadership.

Yes everyone would like to have a car. But unfortunately this would not be feasible nor good for any society. But Governments should be able to provide mass transit systems for its people. This is one thing I must admit that Fernandez has done. Though I am not a proponent of the metro I must admit he has made headway in transportation. I can remember when city buses did not exist in Santo Domingo nor Santiago. Well they did exist but they were privately owned " ride at your own risk buses".

I can also remember when Flying in through the airports was a nightmare. I could tell you stories of the many times I was stopped interrogated and harassed at the airport. But now I must return to work. Lunch is over.

Don't give them a raise! They are the ones doing the robberies. Just shoot them all and then the judges, then the polititians and then every other Dominican who has no sense of morals which will leave only a handful of people here.

Last time I checked, they we're the ones that carry the guns...

But yes, some of those guys (polize, politicians and so on) deserve "drastical" measures.

Does anyone think that Police officers in the U.S are any less corrupt. Well that would be open for debate. But I can tell you this that for someone to bribe a police officer in the states, you have better come up with some real CASH. When that officer weighs in salary, retirement, medical benefits, and other perks that may not be so obvious, not to mention the implications it would have on the remainder of his life, the return should be well worth the risk.

So therefore a good salary and strong penal code would definitely deter police officers from malfeasance or improprieties.