page_title: Federal Highway Police (Brazil)
section_title: Anti-crime operations
hierarchical_section_title: Federal Highway Police (Brazil) / Anti-crime operations
caption_attribution_description: Português: Posto da Polícia Rodoviária Federal em Jequié, Bahia, Brasil.
context_page_description: The Brazilian Federal Highway Police is a federal highway patrol, subordinate to the Ministry of Justice, whose main function is fighting crime on Brazilian federal roads and highways, as well as monitoring and supervising vehicular traffic, although it has also taken on duties that go beyond its original authority, such as action within Brazilian cities and forests in conjunction with other public safety agencies.
  It was subordinate to the old National Department of Roadways, now the National Department of Transport Infrastructure, until the publication of Law 8,028 of 12 April 1990, which redefined the structure of the Brazilian executive branch.
  Its competences are defined by article 144 of the Federal Constitution and by Law 9,503, by Decree 1655 of 3 October 1995 and by its internal regulation, approved by Ministerial Decree 1,375 of 2 August 2007.
  The title patrolman given to the members was abolished in 1998, replaced by the title policewoman/-man. Members of the PRF are divided into four classes: Third, Second, First and Special.
  Since 2009, entry into the PRF already required a university education degree recognized by the Ministry of Education.
context_section_description: As the road is the main method of transport for merchandise, valuables, and people in Brazil, the PRF specializes in innumerable anti-crime activities, many times specific to the peculiarities of the region.  In border regions, emphasis is given to fighting against contraband and drug trafficking (with the aid of police dogs); the North Region is characterized by repression of environmental crimes, such as the extraction and transport of natural resources prohibited by law; and in the Northeast Region the PRF concentrates on fighting against marijuana trafficking and trafficking of minors.
  All over the country, the PRF carries out searches for fugitives and criminals wanted who may be traveling on federal highways, recovery of stolen vehicles, as well as specific operations against the robbery of vehicles with valuable cargo and passenger buses.
  Following their crime fighting vocation, the PRF now not only restricts itself to crimes on federal highways.  Recently a series of operations - some of which were carried out in conjunction with other federal agencies - reinforce the new position of the agency, acting ostensibly as a federal police force: Operação Carta Branca (against fraud in the issuing of licenses), Operação Paracelso (against the fuel mafia), Operação Seringueira, Operação Velozes e Furiosos, etc.  Hundreds of search and arrest warrants were carried out all over the country.
caption: Polícia Rodoviária Federal post in Jequié, Bahia, Brasil.
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