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Colombia - Police Flags and Aircraft Marking

Last modified: 2024-04-20 by daniel rentería
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image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006

See also:

Overview

Current structure of Police organization:

The Colombian Police underwent a restructuring process (see new organizational chart here according to Decree No. Estructura Orgánica - Decreto 216 de 2010.
So the new structure is (each Directorate has its own flag):
OPERATIONAL:
- Dirección Operativa (DIROP, Operational Directorate)
- Dirección de Seguridad Ciudadana (DISEC, Citizen Security Directorate)
- Dirección de Carabineros y Seguridad Rural (DICAR, Carabinier and Rural Security Directorate)
- Dirección de Investigación Criminal e INTERPOL (DICI, Criminal Investigation and Interpol Directorate, the first takas was previously carried out by the Dirección Central de Dirección Judicial, DIJIN, Central Directorate of Criminal Police, and the second task was previously carried out by the DAS)
- Dirección de Inteligencia Policial (previously the Dirección Central de Inteligencia, DIPOL, Intelligence Central Directorate)
- Dirección Antinarcóticos (DIRAN, Antinarcotics Directorate)
- Dirección de Protección y Servicios Especializados (DIPRO, Protection and Specialized Services, previously the Dirección Servicios Especializados, DIRSE, Specializaed Services Directorate)
- Dirección Antisecuestro y Extorisón (DIASE, Antikidnapping and Extorsion Directorate)
- Dirección de Tránsito y Transportes (Transit and Transportation Directorate)

ADMINISTRATIVE:
- Dirección Nacional de Escuelas (Schooling National Directorate)
- Dirección de Incorporación (DINCO, Recruitment Directorate)
- Dirección de Talento Humano (DITAH, previously the Dirección Recursos Humanso, Human Resources Directorate)
- Dirección Administrativa y Financiera (DIRAF, Administrative and Financial Directorate)
- Dirección de Sanidad Policial (DISAN, Health Directorate)
- Dirección Bienestar Social (DIBIE, Social Welfare Directorate)

Grupos Especiales (Special Groups):
"COPES" Comandos de Operaciones Especiales - Special Operations Commandos (under the jurisdiction of the DISEC)
"EMCAR" Escuadrones móviles de carabineros - Mobile Carabinier Squadrons (under the jurisdiction of the DICAR)
"JUNGLA" Compañía Jungla Antinarcóticos - Anti-narcotics Jungle Company
"GAULA" Grupos de Acción Unificada por la Libertad Personal - Unified Action Group for Personnel Rescue (see also: GAULA)
"ESMAD" Escuadrones móviles antidisturbios - Mobile Riot Squadrons
"POLCA" Policía de carreteras - Highway Police
"POLFA" Policia Fiscal y Aduanera - Fiscal and Customs Police
"SAPOL" Servicio Aéreo de Policia - Police Air Service
See also: Bloque de Búsqueda - Search Bloc

Regional Organization Police Regions
1.Región de Policía No. 1 - Police Region No. 1 based in Bogota
2.Región de Policía No. 2 - Police Region No. 2 based in Neiva
3.Región de Policía No. 3 - Police Region No. 3 based in Pereira
4.Región de Policía No. 4 - Police Region No. 4 based in Cali
5.Región de Policía No. 5 - Police Region No. 5 based in Cúcuta
6.Región de Policía No. 6 - Police Region No. 6 based in Medellín
7.Región de Policía No. 7 - Police Region No. 7 based in Villavicencio
8.Región de Policía No. 8 - Police Region No. 8 based in Barranquilla

Policía Metropolitana (Metropolitan Police):
There are Metropolitan Police Commands in the eight main cities of the country: Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cucuta, Pereira and Bucaramanga. Each Metropolitan Police Command has its own flag.
Departamento de Policía (Police Department): There are Police Departments in each of the 32 Departments of the country and an additional one for a specific subregion of the Department of Antioquia called Urabá. Each Police Department has its own flag.
Both are subdivided as follows:
1.Comando Operativo de Seguridad Ciudadana (Operational Command of Public Safety)
2.Distrito de Policía (Police District)
3.Estación de Policía (Police Station)
4.Subestación de Policía (Police Substation)
5.Comandos de Atención Inmediata, CAI (Immediate Aattention Commands)
6.Puesto de Policía (Police Posts)

Sources: http://www.policia.gov.co/portal/page/portal/INSTITUCION/Organizacion/Organigrama/Estructura
http://www.policia.gov.co/portal/page/portal/INSTITUCION/Mando_Institucional/Directores
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_National_Police#Organization
Esteban Rivera, 09 March 2013

Former structure of Police organization:

The Colombian National Police [is currently] organized 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 Policía "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

image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2006
detail

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

See also: PolicĂ­a "SimĂłn BolĂ­var", Escuela de (ESBOL)

Variant Diagonal Flag

image located by Paul Bassinson, 8 August 2023

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

Police Director General's Pennant

I saw this Pennant on the online edition of the REVISTA PODER magazine, published on August 9, 2008. I believe it is the Colombian National Police Director General's Pennat. I believe the Pennant reads DIRPONAL (Director Policía Nacional), but I am not sure.
E.R., 29 August 2008

Major Pennant

image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 August 2009

This is a Police Rank Pennant feature in the this picture. This rank Pennant is the rank of Mayor (Major) based on the rank chart of the Police website here.
Thus we can deduce that all other rank pennants in the Police are based on the same pattern, the only thing changing is the image of the actual rank, the color scheme is the same.
E.R., 10 August 2009

Captain Pennant

image by Eugene Ipavec, 29 September 2009

This is Police Captain rank pennant based on a picture here. This picture shows the rank pennant of the Director of the SEJIM school. On the left side of the picture one can see the obverse a white rectangular pennant, same size as Army rank pennants with a white thick outline, then green background with the three golden bars in the middle which represent the rank of Captain as shown in their official website.
E.R., 29 September 2009

Central Directorate of Criminal Police

 

Social Welfare Directorate (DIBIE- Dirección Bienestar Social)

image by Eugene Ipavec, 28 July 2006

image by Eugene Ipavec, 28 July 2006
coat of arms

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

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 organized 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 administrative 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

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006
coat of arms

Comando Departamento de Policía de Córdoba

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2006
coat of arms

Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá

image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 July 2006

image by Eugene Ipavec, 31 July 2006

Civic Police (PolicĂ­a CĂ­vica)

PolicĂ­a CĂ­vica (English: Civic Police) is an unarmed, voluntary civilian corps, established by Decree No. 335 of February 11, 1994. It currently depends on the DirecciĂłn Operativa (DIROP, Operational Directorate). It is the equivalent to the (Military) Profesionales Oficiales de la Reserva (English: Professional Reserve Officers) in each of its Forces. It is divided into the following:
- PolicĂ­a CĂ­vica de Mayores (English: Elder Civic Police)
- PolicĂ­a CĂ­vica Juvenil (English: Youth Civic Police)
Sources: https://www.policia.gov.co/programas-sociales/civica-mayores, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lZd-uY5fEg and
http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co/sisjur/normas/Norma1.jsp?i=8275

Its flag is the coat of arms in the middle of a horizontal flag, which in turn is horizontally divided into as seen here: https://www.policia.gov.co/sites/default/files/civica_foto.jpg (source: https://www.policia.gov.co/programas-sociales/civica-mayores). It follows the same pattern as the "General Santander Police Cadet School (variant)", adding a black line in the middle dividing the green (top) and yellow (bottom).

For additional information go to PolicĂ­a CĂ­vica (official website): https://www.policia.gov.co/programas-sociales/civica-mayores
Esteban Rivera, 21 May 2018

Colombian Association of Retired Police Officers

image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 July 2006
flag

image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 July 2006
coat of arms

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

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 Association'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