A few weeks ago, after waiting for my first private tutee for half and hour (we were waiting in two different places and I know I was in the right!), I walked out of the Metro and saw a rare sight. The Chilean police force (Carabineros--not a rare sight) were on the streets with their full armor and accompanying tank-like armored vehicles.
Remember that opening scene in Minority Report where the team swoops in and stops the murder. Or maybe you remember Robocop. Basically these guys act as a heavily armored police. According to that bastion of truth Wikipedia, they all have military training as well, which isn't surprising, since they look like an army. They are also required to be able to adequately ride a horse. From what I know their reputation today is pretty good (in the 70s they, with CIA backing, helped overthrow a democratically elected leader during the September coup). Unlike in some other Latin American countries, attempting to bribe Carabineros is a huge mistake, as they not just decline, but also prosecute the briber. On the flip side, civil rights groups have said they're too "heavy-handed" in their conduct. In any case, I feel safe with them around (though they are quite intimidating), but I can sometimes envision the city during the dictatorship with them on the streets.
Anyway, the sight I saw was the Carabineros breaking up some sort of scuffle with high-pressure water shot from the top of a tank-like vehicle. I used my smarts and thought of me mum, so I didn't get too close, and thus I can't accurately tell you what happened. But it was quite a sight.
After I began writing this I came home one day to my apartment and found that the apartment had been visited by some Carabineros in search of some stolen clothes from a department store that had lived in the apartment previously. Now, my room was already somewhat messy, and most of my things were in my new apartment, so I don't know if they looked through my stuff. In any case, everything I had was still there.
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