![Police Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) officers patrol as residents move about the Sao Carlos slum complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 15, 2015 (AP photo/Felipe Dana).](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/l_brazil_bope_07292015_1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
The investigation of an elite police unit in Brazil for allegedly trying to cover up the disappearance of a Rio de Janeiro man may represent an opportunity to restore the public’s trust in the rule of law, and perhaps repair the reputation of a controversial program to pacify favelas. The disappearance of Amarildo da Souza, a 47-year-old bricklayer who was last seen by witnesses in July 2013 being led into a local police base in Rio’s Rocinha favela, provoked immediate outrage. Residents and civil society groups demanded justice; prosecutors soon launched an investigation that ultimately resulted in charges of murder, […]