Rio Police Bonus for ‘Neutralization’ Challenged in Court

Overview

• State deputy Carlos Minc filed a Direct Action of Unconstitutionality seeking to suspend Article 21 of Law 11.003/2025 at the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice.
• The case was randomly assigned to appellate judge Andre Emilio Ribeiro Von Melentovytch.
• The provision took effect after the state assembly overturned Governor Cláudio Castro’s veto on Dec. 18 in a 40–24 vote with one abstention and was published in the state’s official gazette.
• The measure authorizes bonuses of up to 150% of salary for outcomes including seizures of restricted firearms, officers injured or killed in service, and deaths recorded in police operations described as “neutralization.”
• The DPU and the Federal Prosecution Service consider the text unconstitutional, and critics cite a 1995–1998 bonus that a study linked to a high share of executions.