This article explores some of the disorganizations and reorganizations occurring within the organizational culture of the
PMESP (São Paulo State Military Police), after the adoption of community policing practices based on the Japanese Koban
System. The emergence of a new (democratic) order, confronting the old (repressive) one, posed incongruent challenges to
officers’ self-perceptions and daily routines. Many started responding by means of personal effort, performing social service
activities. However, the idea of being a “social firefighterâ€, searching for the solution of deep social inequalities, seems
to contain in itself a promise that many officers, especially sergeants, cannot accomplish. Some cultural traits from the
Japanese model propose different angles for observing this dynamic. They suggest that a sense of purpose at the front lines
of police work – and group cohesion that emanates from it – represents a strategic concern for the PMESP in its endeavor to
become a more responsive institution.
