Overview:
Port-de-Paix Government Commissioner Jéir Pierre creates a special security brigade under his authority, mirroring tactics used by Miragoâne Commissioner Jean Ernest Muscadin.
PORT-DE-PAIX—As insecurity continues to spread across Haiti’s provincial cities, Port-de-Paix Government Commissioner Jéir Pierre has taken on an increasingly assertive role in public security, forming a special nighttime patrol brigade under his direct authority. An approach that mirrors the hard-line model popularized by Miragoâne public prosecutor Jean Ernest Muscadin.
Since late December, Pierre has overseen evening patrols throughout Port-de-Paix, the capital city of the Northwest Department, following a series of armed robberies, assaults and reports of sexual violence that rattled residents and disrupted nightlife.
The initiative places the public prosecutor—rather than the Haitian National Police (PNH)—at the center of visible street-level security, drawing both praise and concern, as has been the case with Muscadin’s operations in Nippes, which The Haitian Times has previously reported on.
“There are currently two government commissioners in the country who are truly confronting banditry,” said resident Maccène Tilus, 47. “Commissioner Pierre is acting here the way Jean Ernest Muscadin has done for years in Miragoâne [the capital of the Nippes Department].”
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A prosecutor-led security model with funding outside the state
Pierre said the brigade was created in response to repeated complaints from residents who felt abandoned amid sporadic nighttime attacks. Rather than forming a personal security detail, he said he chose to expand the small protection unit attached to his office into a broader patrol force.
“The brigade is the security unit of the Government Commissioner,” Pierre said. “But I expanded this force by selecting a group of men to patrol with me every evening through every neighborhood, alley and dead end, to ease the workload of the Haitian National Police.”
According to Pierre, the brigade operates in coordination with police units but remains under his authority. Its members are drawn from the local population, a detail he says allows them to identify known criminals more easily.
“My security is no more important than the security of the population,” Pierre said. “This is not about protecting me—it’s about protecting the city.”
Unlike formal police units, the brigade does not have an official government budget. Pierre acknowledged that its operations are financed through donations from residents and personal acquaintances who support the initiative.
“People who believe in this effort did not want to leave me alone,” he said. “They are helping cover basic costs so the agents can function.”
That funding structure, similar to what has been reported in Miragoâne, has raised questions among legal analysts about oversight, accountability and the blurring of lines between judicial authority and policing.
Early impact—and risks
Several residents say the brigade’s presence has brought limited relief. Nighttime movement has increased, and some business owners report feeling safer opening later.
“We’re starting to breathe a little,” said downtown resident Wilner Norméus. “The streets are calmer than they were before.”
“The brigade is the security unit of the Government Commissioner, but I expanded this force by selecting men to patrol with me every night to ease the Haitian National Police’s workload.”
Jéir Pierre, Port-de-Paix Government Commissioner
Vladimir Jean, who was robbed in December, said one of the men who attacked his family was later killed near the site of the theft. However, police sources confirmed that the operation was carried out by officers from the Departmental Unit for Maintaining Order (UDMO), not the government commissioner’s brigade.
The special brigade itself has come under fire. During a patrol in the La Coupe neighborhood on Dec. 26, 2025, armed men shot at the unit, wounding member Marc Tayson Michel. Pierre confirmed that Michel was struck by two bullets and later received medical treatment. He has since been in stable conditions, officials said.
Concerns over legality and oversight
Human rights advocates and security analysts warn that prosecutor-led security units—operating outside formal police command structures—risk abuses and confusion, especially in a country where accountability mechanisms are weak.
Even so, public support remains strong among residents exhausted by years of unchecked violence and slow police response times.
Despite the patrols, insecurity persists. On Jan. 11, the body of an elderly man was found with apparent gunshot wounds in the Morne Dorima neighborhood, underscoring the limits of the brigade’s reach.
As Haiti’s security crisis deepens, the rise of prosecutor-led enforcement—once considered exceptional—is becoming more common, raising fundamental questions about the separation of powers, the role of the judiciary, and how far local officials can go when the state’s primary security institutions fall short.
“We truly have a brigade to secure homes and businesses at night,” Pierre said. “I remain determined to prevent Port-de-Paix from falling into the hands of assassins, as we’ve seen elsewhere.”
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