The police exist in Sosua to shakedown the bars and the ladies. When the police appear, then the ladies will disappear as they believe they will be required to pay them protection money.

The police will then disappear and you will not see them again until next shakedown. The police know the women will disappear when they show up thus hampering the lady's earnings ability. So they space the shakedowns apart. If they did not space them out, then the ladies would have nothing to give the police.

When you see the police, then turn around and go back to the hotel for an hour or so. There is a chance that if the police see you then they will try to shake you down. Afterall, you have access to many more pesos then some of the ladies.

In general, you want the police not to be involved in whatever you are doing in the DR. If they got involved, then they might find a way to get your pesos. These guys are not honest dealers and I would be extremely careful when they are around. I would not remain in the same area while they are around. I would not try to observe what they are doing.

How the fuck are you supposed to bring freelancers back to your room with these fuckers around. Shit, even in AC the corrupt police arent just roaming the streets looking for bribes every night.

Its not that bad....they are just like any other police in a 3rd world country. If you don't look like an easy target, then they will leave you alone. Even with the police around, I openly walked around with girls and took them back to my room...no problem! Overall, I only saw one altercation with police - and it was with a local street kid that tried to rob someone. He jumped around, trying to get away from the police - they did eventually grab him quite forcefully (slapping him face down on the street). The two police squeezed him between the two of them on an old motorcycle and drove off...actually quite entertaining to watch..

I guess after having lived in Brazil for so long now, all this stuff seems so normal to me :-) Overall, however, I think the Police are much more numerous and worse in Rio compared to Sosua/DR.

I have gotten out of some pretty dicey situations just by the simple fact that I played it cool with the police, continued smiling, and never showed fear. I have talked my way out of fights with girls in motels and the ever famous passport shake downs without paying a dime! But then again, I am used to it now....

Famous passport shakedowns? Can you elaborate on that for the benefit of us all? Are you talking about the DR here?

In Brasil, all non-residents are supposed to carry their passports 100% of the time. Occasionally, cops will stop a tourist and ask to see their passports - which most people don't carry due to pickpockets and muggings. They then shake the tourist down for bucks so as not to arrest them.

It's also good for getting unwelcome tourists off the street. When the idiots were running the brothel boats a few years ago, most of them got prosecuted and had their visas revoked because they didn't have their passports on them when they were arrested.

The cops are only there once a week more or less. The cops know that if they are present then the women go away which negatively effects the economy and the cops ability to take money from the locals.

If the cops were there everyday, then they couldnt make any money and the town would not make any either. So the cops only come in every once in a while. They wont bother you as long as you dont linger around or get involved in their business.

Sorry i will call bullshit on this one , firstly the cops are shady and like any other 3rd world police force. But as for having to go back to your room and stay low , WTF are you smoking portage. Go out , drink , stay in control , pick up some nice ass , go back to room....... stay out of there way. I have seen them in front of latinos ,flow , merange (bar below clasicos) , no problems , they handle the drunks of thieves , they only shake people down when they are alone and isolated and have done something wrong.

One of the problems is that although we appreciate Portege's efforts in putting together his report, he has a history here of stating his conclusions as fact, even in instances where he never even visited the location he "reported" on. He obviously did visit DR, and a lot of his reporting is helpful, but at the same time one suspects a fair amount of what he is reporting as fact and giving advice about is based on his own unique speculations rather than direct experience, not so unlike his reports and pre-reports about Thailand and other Asian locations.

So my advice to Portege for future reports is "Just the facts ma'am."

right on the money, Smuckin...and LaGuy as well. Absolutely no reason to take-off for the hotel when the Police is around. Just stay cool...and, as stated, ignore them. The information in the report was excellent, but from an angle of someone who might not have traveled to many Latin American destinations and is not accustomed to how things work there. None of the Police reporting, girl drama, rip-off artists, etc, is anything unique to DR....If you travel to any Central/South American country this is the norm...actually much worse in some places then in the DR. Read almost any trip report on the different locations and you will see a common theme regarding these topics...

To me Sosua seemed pretty safe outside the typical BS that you will encounter in almost any mongering place. Probably the only exception to this location reference (and why I added "almost any") are the FKK's in Germany...Germany is the only no problem and safest mongering place I know so far...but then again, it is not some Latin American country.

If DR is of interest to you, then just go...safety is no more an issue then anywhere else. Common sense should always prevail regardless. If at times that common sense fails you - which can easily happen after getting a little too hammered - then just brush it off, write-off the loss, and enjoy the rest of the trip.

The best tip I can give regarding Police run-ins... stay cool, stay smiling, friendly, and in control...99% of the time things will work out just fine. The few times that does not work, $$ should do the trick. Now if you truly do something stupid - like being caught with drugs, underage girls, etc, well then you really just deserve what is coming to you anyway. Then you really want to hope that the corrupt cops are corrupt enough to care more about money then true justice - again, usually a big benefit in dealing with the 3rd world police.

You guys can do what you like when the police are around. As for me, I will leave the area just like the chicas are doing. If you want to stick around getting close with the police while they are shaking down the locals, then be my guest. Im just telling you what I would do...

Cops are shaking down the locals (note--they shake down the locals) because the locals are largely pimps and prostitutes engaged in illegal activity. They could give a shit about the johns. The worst that ever happened to me when dealing with DR cops is they asked to see my ID. I showed them a copy of my passport and a US DL, and they said "gracias" and sent me on my way.

RT here. I once got pulled over for running the traffic light in Sosua.

I summoned up all the non-Spanish I had in me and said to the cop (really slow and loud), "WHERE IS THE AIRPORT?"

He just rolled his eyes, thought that I was a total idiot, and waved me away.

This is what makes my blood boil: What always concerns me is the way the police behave (or in every case, misbehave) in Third World countries. It bothers me immensely that the word "police" is synonymous the world over with "law enforcement," "protection," etc, yet, we all know the police in say, any Third World country doesn't have the education, training, ethics, pay or honesty that most cops in every law enforcement agency has in the US.

I would have more respect for the police in these Third World undomesticated countries if they would just take off those uniforms and be open about being street thugs or robbers. At least with the average, everyday criminal in the prison system, they know what they are.

Whenever I'm in Tijuana, I am constantly on edge over whether or not I will be shaken down by the police. This never ever happens to me when I'm way down in the interior of Mexico, like Sonora, San Felipe, or Guadalajara. It's always that Goddamn border town of TJ where I feel nervous.

I have never had any trouble with the cops in the Philippines, but countless reports on this site regarding shake-downs, raids, etc. have warned me to always be aware and use common sense.
when I was in Bogota, Colombia a few years ago, I was witnessing cop shake-downs in the tourist areas on the streets by the local police on the street hookers and trannys, because I was told they are often handcuffed, taken to a remote area and robbed of their hard-earned cash.

Master Bates

"Third World undomesticated countries"

Undomesticated? Are you shitting me?

You try to be a professional law enforcement officer on a $300 monthly - if that - salary and tell me you will never get tempted with a little bribe here and there...all the while being shot at by drug dealers and various scum. I remember going to a BBQ of a Brazilian friend about a month ago, and his cousin is a Cop..we all started talking about his job and the dangers he was put in for a R$600 salary. Put a little different light on it for me...Lots of scum bag cops, but also lots of normal guys just trying to make a living and support a family. Not being corrupt is kind of like being part of a Frat house without taking part in any misbehavior...the system just breads it!

Very well stated LM.