His name is Jonathan Rodríguez and he is a former local police officer from Arrecife who became disabled in his shoulder on duty in 2015 and as a result was dismissed from the force. Since then, this 37-year-old has been fighting to be reintegrated into the Local Police of the capital and adapt to a position performing administrative tasks. And it is that, this agent "by vocation", wants to continue being "useful". However, until now he has not succeeded, although he is confident that this situation, in which he says there are "another 300" colleagues in the Canary Islands, will change with the new Law of Coordination of Local Police.
It was on a November night in 2015 when, performing a service in Manolo Millares street with the USCI, unit to which he belonged, Jonathan suffered "a serious injury" to his shoulder. "We came across a fight and at one point during the struggle, a person of great corpulence tried to pull out a knife and I proceeded to subdue him. We fell and my body impacted directly with the sidewalk in the fall and the person, who weighed 128 kilos, fell on top of me" has related this young man in Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero.
After that, Jonathan was operated on twice as he had "blocked mobility" in his shoulder and had "incessant pain", but the result was "unfavorable". "I also underwent some quite hard alternative therapies, with a medical treatment also quite hard, and it did not give results either", added this former local police officer, who explained that in November he underwent a last surgical intervention and was placed "a prosthesis" being "better" since then.
He asked to perform administrative tasks but the City Council never answered him
While on leave, Jonathan even tried to register "knowing" that his shoulder "was bad", because he says he "missed being working". However, after 20 days he returned to the mutual insurance company "with a temporary disability". The mutual insurance company, according to what he has related, then sent a report to the City Council so that they could readapt a job to this agent but, according to what he has affirmed, the City Council "did not" answer". "Faced with this situation and being evident that I could not perform first activity services, which is patrolling, I requested the pass to second activity, which is mainly doing administrative tasks"
"In my case it could be talks in schools and realization of protocols of action or a figure that is being implemented now in the local police, which is a mediator of civil conflicts between neighbors, in which I have been preparing during this time", he said this former police officer, pointing out that, however, this request was "also" not answered.
The mutual insurance company then decided to send him to the medical tribunal, where he was recognized "a disability of 33%". Then, Jonathan again addressed a letter to the City Council, but according to what he pointed out, the answer he received is that the City Council proceeded to dismiss him. And, now, at 37 years old, he is a pensioner, despite the fact that he wants to "continue working".
Petition in Parliament
This former local police officer has explained that there are city councils throughout Spain that "do decide to readapt the job" pointing out that on the island the consistories of Teguise and Tías "do collect it", as well as the Cabildo, where he says that "there is a firefighter who is in a similar situation". Thus, what the Association for the Integration of Local Police with Disabilities to which Jonathan belongs has asked is that the Law of Coordination of Local Police, which "is being modified", give "response to colleagues who are with a functional diversity" and adapt to the International Commission of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the UN". "Let it be by law, not a kingdom of taifas where everyone decides what they want", he said.
And, according to Jonathan Rodríguez, of the approximately 3,100 local police officers in the Canary Islands, "there are 300" in his situation. In this sense, Jonathan himself went to the Disability Committee of the Canarian Parliament last March, together with colleagues from the Association for the Integration of Local Police with Disabilities. "On the 19th a PNL will be taken so that in a transitional way we can return to reintegrate and do work until the law is approved, which will go through urgent processing", explained this former local police officer, who said that he took "a pleasant surprise" in Parliament to see that "there is absolute predisposition on the part of the groups. "This has to be solved and there should be no discrimination in the police", said Jonathan, stressing that he also has "absolute support" from the "totality of the unions".
"It would be easier to be on the couch, but I don't want that"
In his case, this young man says that he even has "favorable reports from the head of the Local Police, José Antonio Lasso", where he lists the functions that Jonathan could perform and asks that he be "assigned to second activity". He also points out that there are also "favorable reports" to his acceptance in the body dated February 21, which were prepared "by a legal technician of the Cabildo" after the Councilor of Police, David Duarte, decided to "ask motu proprio for a collaboration". "But if the department that has to make the decision, does not take it, does nothing, it remains on paper", criticized Jonathan, who does not understand if it is "by dereliction of duty or bad faith of some technician".
And, this former police officer says that last July 4 his situation "was going to go to plenary and the point was withdrawn". In addition, he points out that he also filed a complaint "before the Ombudsman" and that he replied on March 3 indicating that "he has asked the City Council twice to submit the documentation and there has been no response". "I don't know what's going on", said this young man, who hopes that this problem will end up being solved "and that in the future colleagues will not go through" his same situation. "Because it would be easier to be on the couch, but I don't want that, I want to feel useful", he concluded.
