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Colombia - Police Flags and Aircraft Marking

Last modified: 2008-07-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: colombia | police | roundel |
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image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006

See also:

Overview

The Colombian National Police is currently organizaed as follows: Dirección General (General Directorate), and 11 Direcciones (Directorates), split into two categories:
OPERATIONAL:
- Dirección Operativa (DIROP, Operational Directorate)
- Dirección Central de Dirección Judicial (DIJIN, Central Directorate of Criminal Police)
- Dirección Central de Inteligencia (DIPOL, Intelligence Central Directorate)
- Dirección Antinarcóticos (DIRAN, Antinarcotics Directorate)
- Dirección Servicios Especializados (DIRSE, Specializaed Services Directorate)
- Dirección Antisecuestro y Extorisón (DIASE, Antikidnapping and Extorsion Directorate)
ADMINISTRATIVE:
- Dirección Escuela Nacional de Policìa "General Santander" (EGSAN)
- Dirección Nacional de Escuelas (Schooling National Directorate)
- Dirección Recursos Humanso (Human Resources Directorate)
- Dirección Administrativa y Financiera (DIRAF, Administrative and Financial Directorate)
- Dirección Sanidad (DISAN, Health Directorate)
- Dirección Bienestar Social (DIBIE, Social Welfare Directorate)
Source: <www.policia.gov.co>.
E.R., 27 July 2006

There have been recent chagnes in the Colombian Police lately. The current Minister of Defense (Juan Manuel Santos) has announced the creation of a New Directorate. It will be called Dirección Nacional de Carabineros (Carabineros National Directorate) and it will be included in the OPERATIONAL category of Directorates. This change means that an update will be made to the Corps that take much of the armed action on the Police which are the Carabineros.
E.R., 18 November 2006

Colombian National Police Flag

The flag is horizontaly divided flag according profesor Restrepo Uribe and by several other sources.
Jaume Olle, 3 June 2000

The discussion agrees much with the flags reported in Lupant's book [lup93] page 57.
Željko Heimer, 24 May 2001

Then flag is horizontally divided one with the Coat of Arms which reads:
- Republica de Colombia
- Policia Nacional
- Dios y Patria (= God and Country).
Jorge Eduardo Alonso, 25 Febuary 2002

The flag is plain; however most of the times it has the Police Coat of Arms in order not to confuse it with other Colombian flags that have the same color pattern (like the flag of the Department of Antioquia, Department of Vaupes or even the City of Medellin.
E.R., 27 July 2006

Ceremonial Flag


image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006


detail
image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006

Plain Flag


image by Zachary Harden, 28 April 2001

According to <www.esbol.edu.co>, the flag is plain white over green. Coat of Arms at the same page.
Dov Gutterman, 18 November 2000

Distinctive Mark of the National Police


image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006

Coat of Arms


image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006

Aircraft Marking


image by Eugene Ipavec, 22 August 2005

In a visit to an Air Show held in Colombia in mid-June 2004, I came across this particular aircraft. It seems to be a T-41, operated by the Policía Nacional Colombiana (Colombian National Police). Its s/n is also very particular (PNC 0260-I, the "I" standing for "Instrcucción", or Instruction in English, meaning it was for training).
E.R., 22 August 2005

The roundel is a dark green ring containing a large dark-green star over a stylized bird in the colors of the Colombian flag.
Eugene Ipavec, 22 August 2005

Central Directorate of Criminal Police


image by Eugene Ipavec, 28 December 2005

The Colombian Police is divided into Directorates. One of the Directorates is DIJIN, or Dirección Central de Policía Judicial, Central Directorate of Criminal Police in English. DIJIN is a national directorate within the Police, with regional sections in each Police Command throughout the country.
Source: <www.policia.gov.co>.
E.R., 28 December 2005

Social Welfare Directorate (DIBIE- Dirección Bienestar Social)


image by Eugene Ipavec, 28 July 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 28 July 2006

Flag and Coat of Arms at: <www.policia.gov.co>.
E.R., 28 July 2006

Motto is "Thinks About You".
Jorge Candeias, 28 July 2006

Dirección Nacional de Escuelas (Schooling National Directorate)

The following information is mostly from my trip to Bogotá. I visited the Police Museum and found some interesting facts:
The Police, among its many Directorates, has a Directorate called Dirección Nacional de Escuelas (Schooling National Directorate). It is in charge of the Escuela de Cadetes de Policía General Santander (or EGSAN). Below the Escuela de Cadetes de Policía General Santander (which is located in Bogotá and it's the main Police School), there are the different school branches located all around the country (not only for cadets, but also aviation, equestrian, and other police branches). They are (in no particular order of importance, only in alphabetical order):

All of the above mentioned schools have their own Coat of Arms and flags.
E.R, 11 August 2006

General Santander Police Cadet School


obverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 October 2005


reverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 7 March 2006

Flag of the "Escuela de Cadetes de Policía General Santander" (General Santander Police Cadet School). Description of the flag: two equal horizontal stripes, top green and bottom yellow, with Coat of Arms on the middle. Official website: Dirección Escuela Nacional de Policía General Santander.
E.R., 22 September 2005

There seems to be a gold inscription in the burgundy ring around the arms, but it's far too small to be legible. The name of the school, perhaps, or its motto?
Eugene Ipavec, 22 September 2005

The inscription on the golden fringe is the name of the School, so it would be (in golden capital letters) "ESCUELA DE POLICA GENERAL SANTANDER".
E.R., 2 October 2005

Carlos E. Restrepo Police School


flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 August 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 August 2006

Escuela Carlos E. Restrepo (SERES), located in La Estrella, Departamento de Antioquia.
Source: <www.policia.gov.co>.
E.R., 30 August 2006

Rafael Reyes Police School


flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 30 August 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 30 August 2006

Escuela Rafael Reyes (SEREY), located in Santa Rosa de Viterbo, Department of Boyacá.
Source: <www.policia.gov.co>
E.R., 30 August 2006

Sumapáz Police School


flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 August 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 30 August 2006

Escuela del Sumapáz (SESUM), located in Fusagasugá Department of Cundinamarca. Official website: <www.policia.gov.co/sesum.nsf>. It was created by Resolution No. 6192 of the 23rd of December, 1996 and it was inaugurated on the 10th of December, 1997.
Flag was created by Resolution No. 03368 of November 20th, 1997. The flag is based on the colors of the flag of the Department of Cundinamarca inside on a triangular shape, inside the colors of the Colombian Police flag.
Coat of Arms was created in 1998 by a group headed by Lt. Col. Ómar Francisco Perdomo Guevara, then Academic Vice-Director of the school. It has four flags surrounding the Coat of Arms itself: on the left-hand side the Colombian Police flag and more to the outside the Colombian flag. On the right-hand side the Department of Cundinamarca flag and more to the outside the Colombian flag.
E.R., 30 August 2006

Police Departmental and Metropolitan Commands

This is the translation of the organization of the Police in Colombia (translated from the official website, original version in Spanish at <www.policia.gov.co>):
The Colombian National Police is organizaed on the national level based on the geographical division of the country (that is Departments and main Metropolitan Areas when referring to the main cities). It is comprised of a "Comando de Departamento de Policía" (or Police Department Command, which is the Police organization established in each of the 32 Departments of Colombia). Plus, the Police has three Metropolitan Commands for the three main cities: Bogota, Medellin and Cali.
In administrsative terms, these Commands depend solely on the Dirección Operativa (Operations Directorate)
All Police Department Command of the 32 Departments of Colombia have same flags besides the name of the department. The first official flag is the Colombian tricolour, charged with the Colombian coat of arms over a white star, and a maroon circle around reading on top POLICIA NACIONAL, and on the bottom DEPTO. (abbreviation for DEPARTAMENTO) * POL (abbreviation for POLICIA) and the name of the Department.
The second official flag is the Colombian National Police flag, charged with the Colombian coat of arms over a white star, and a maroon circle around reading on top POLICIA NACIONAL, and on the bottom DEPTO. (abbreviation for DEPARTAMENTO) * POL (abbreviation for POLICIA) and the name of the Department.
Regarding the flags of the three Main cities Metropolitan Commands, I have not seen them, but I do know they exist.
Below are examples of the two official flags from two departments.
E.R., 27 July 2006

Note that the inscription in and border of the maroon ring are gold on the Colombian tricolor flag and and silver on the white/green bicolor.
Eugene Ipavec, 28 July 2006

I saw a Police patrol that belongs to the Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá (Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Police) which is one of the three Comandos de Policía Metropolitana (Metropolitan Police Commands). The flag of the Comando de Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá has the same scheme as the Comando Departamental with the only difference being on the Coat of Arms, the lower part of the red circle having the words METROPOLITANA VALLE DE ABURRA.
E.R., 31 July 2006

Comando Departamento de Policía de Amazonas


image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006


image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006

Comando Departamento de Policía de Córdoba


image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006


image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006

Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá


image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 July 2006


image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 July 2006

Colombian Asociation of Retired Police Officers


flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 July 2006


coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 July 2006


proposed coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 23 July 2006

The flag of the ACORPOL (Asociación Colombiana de Oficiales en Retiro de la Policía, or Colombian Asociation of Retired Police Officers). The information is based on a magazine, published in March, 2006, by this asociacion, in which it portrays the flag, the Coat of Arms and a proposal for a new Coat of Arms.
The flag has the same bicolor color scheme as the General Santander Police Cadet School plus the Coat of Arms on the middle. The green color stands for hope and the yellow color stands for richness.
This was a proposal sent in August 1985 and published my the Asociation's magazine, made by Lt. Col. (r) Alberto Bernal García (deceased), of the ACORPOL office in the Departmento of Valle, making a call to upgrade not only the Coat of Arms but also the anthem and the flag. The proposal was published in the magazine  Carta Policial, Edition No. 49, August-September issue of 1985.
E.R., 23 and 26 July 2006