The Public Force of Costa Rica (FPCR) is the national law enforcement agency of Costa Rica, founded in 1996. Following the abolition of the military in 1949, Costa Rica maintained Police Guard forces, and, rather than maintaining a standing army, Costa Rica maintained small forces capable of law enforcement. In 1996, the Ministry of Public Security founded the "Public Force of Costa Rica" as a gendarmerie, reorganizing and eliminating the Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard, and Frontier Guards and creating a 70-man civilian police unit responsible for both law enforcement and border patrols.
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FPCR troops before the Alajuela raid, 1985