Rodolfo Barrenechea
Rodolfo Barrenechea | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 February 1915 |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Era | Vriend Era |
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Title | Chef der Ordnungspolizei |
| Term | 15 April 1970 – 15 April 1982 |
| Predecessor | Office established |
Rodolfo Barrenechea (born 6 February 1915) was an Argentine police officer who served as the first Chef der Ordnungspolizei from 15 April 1970 until 15 April 1982. A senior officer of the Policía Federal Argentina before his appointment, he was selected by Jan Paap to lead the newly created Ordnungspolizei and was given the rank of General der Polizei.[1]
Early life and career
Barrenechea was born on 6 February 1915 in Carlos Keen, a small settlement in Buenos Aires Province. He came from a modest Basque-Argentine family that made its living from dairy farming. He later joined the Policía Federal Argentina and had reached senior command by the end of the 1960s.
Following the failed police response near San Nicolás de los Arroyos on 31 October 1969, Paap ordered a review of the separate Argentine police command structures. After deciding to replace them with a central uniformed police organization, he selected Barrenechea to head the new force.[1]
Chef der Ordnungspolizei
Paap created the Ordnungspolizei by Führerbefehl on 15 April 1970. Barrenechea was appointed General der Polizei and became its first chief on the same day. He directed the transfer of Argentine police personnel into the new structure while the central staff was established in Georgetown, Tanoa. Argentina was placed under one Ordnungspolizei command headquartered in Buenos Aires.[1]
The transfer changed the officers' command authority before their uniforms were replaced. Existing Argentine uniforms remained temporarily authorized while the new organization issued its own credentials and ranks. Complete Ordnungspolizei uniforms were distributed during 1970 and 1971.[2]
After Fiji was annexed in 1975, Barrenechea oversaw the transfer of its existing police into a Fiji Ordnungspolizei command headquartered in Suva. He remained chief during the Suva Crisis, which began on 31 December 1979. Communication failures between Fiji and the central command disrupted the initial police response. After the crisis ended on 2 January 1980, Barrenechea gave the Suva command a permanent direct communications line to Georgetown for emergencies.[1]
Barrenechea remained Chef der Ordnungspolizei after Eef Paap succeeded Jan Paap in January 1980. He retired from the office on 15 April 1982.