Someone call the Gendarmes

1 hour writing, 2 hours processing data, 1.5 hours reading, 1 hour phone meeting, page count = 181

Today I began processing the ministerial report data received from Ana María. It appears that in 1915 there was a reform incorporating the short-lived National Gendarmerie, a militarized police that had been created in 1906 and affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, into the National Police under the Ministry of Government. This is a relevant episode in that it shows an attempt to militarize the police that was relatively quickly suppressed, but in the scheme of things, it's not as important as the creation of the National Police itself and the professionalization of the army that happens during this period. In writing about this episode, I went back and forth about whether to incorporate it into the main text, but ultimately opted to put it in a footnote.

I was interested to see that by 1916, there was a pretty decent regional distribution of the National Police, and it appears to have happened quite quickly, as the first real stations outside of Bogotá appear to have been created in 1911. Even so, the overall number of agents stationed outside the capital remains quite small, so it's the state and local police that become more relevant during La Violencia.

In terms of reading, I did some background work on the 19th century chapter that was helpful in understanding the critical antecedents that shaped the configuration of security forces. It's a good sign that stuff I'm reading now is mostly confirming or fleshing out points I've already made, rather than bringing new ideas. At this stage, that's how it should be!

Had a great conversation with another Berkeley professor about the U.S. comparison. He had some very helpful suggestions as far as sources to consult, and they were different from the ones I got from another professor last week. The role of the Progressive Party in state building seems to be really key; it's interesting that no third party was really significant enough in Colombia to motivate that kind of reform, that it happened through the Conservatives.

I also did a fair bit of job-search work, including talking with a former colleague who had an interesting job referral, for which she was kind enough to submit my resume. Let's see what happens!