DeAgostini 1:43 Volkswagen Beetle: Civil Police Sao Paulo

In Brazil, the Civil Police (Portuguese: Polícia Civil) is the name of the investigative state police forces.

The Civil Police are agencies of the public administration of the states and of the Federal District of Brazil, whose function is, in accordance with article 144 of the Federal Constitution of 1988, the exercise of the public security for the preservation of the public order, of the safety of the people and the patrimony.

Each of the states and the Federal District has its own "Civil Police Department", which carries out detective work, forensics and criminal investigation, acting as a state bureau of investigation, while the "Military Police" carries out preventive police duties.

It aims at the exercise of functions of judiciary police and the exercise of activities of administrative and security police, which are indispensable to the preservation of the juridical order, to the (promotion of the) harmonic life of the community, and to guarantee citizens' rights and liberty.