A polícia do Rio de Janeiro na década de 1950 : os escritos de Epitácio Timbaúba no Diário Carioca

Abstract

The 1950s were a period of intense transformations for Rio de Janeiro, which experienced political, urban, social, and criminal changes. The city underwent various modifications in its physical space, such as street widening, the depopulation of the downtown area, various constructions and demolitions, and the redistribution of several occupations, in an attempt to 'ventilate' and 'modernize' the city. However, one of the consequences of this urban reorganization was the emergence of 'new' situations that the population, not used to dealing with them, entrusted to the police. In this context, there were also intense changes in social structures, and consequently, in the types of crimes committed. The police sought to maintain order in the city and control the so-called “dangerous classes”. It was within this context that Epitácio Timbaúba da Silva emerged—a forensic expert and former police officer who played a key role in various significant events of his time. He was a central figure as the head of one of the most important investigative organizations of the period: the Gabinete de Pesquisas Científicas (G.P.S.). After the G.P.S. was disbanded in 1940, he transitioned from forensic work to writing, bringing with him the wealth of experience accumulated over years in the police. Epitácio found his voice as a columnist for the newspaper Diário Carioca, where he wrote about a wide range of topics, focusing primarily on police operations, the efficiency of different police departments, and the problems afflicting Rio de Janeiro at the time. This research aims to investigate his newspaper columns, examining the writings of the chemist, forensic expert, and former head of the Gabinete de Pesquisas Científicas, as published in Diário Carioca. The objective is to analyze, through a substantial collection of these sources, the urban and social transformations experienced by Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s from a police perspective, understanding how the police engaged with these changes and reflecting on the characteristics and structure of policing during this period.