( CNN ) -- The Puerto Rico Police Department has a long pattern of violating citizens ' constitutional rights through excessive force and unwarranted searches , the Justice Department said in a report released Thursday . The analysis by the Justice Department 's civil rights division found the U.S. commonwealth 's police force is `` broken in a number of critical and fundamental respects . '' Bucking the trend of decreasing crime in the United States , violent crime in Puerto Rico increased 17 % between 2007 and 2009 . The island has also seen a number of large protests in past years over issues such as the cost of public education and job cuts . Police confronted these challenges with too heavy a hand , the report said . In response to student protests in August 2009 , police used chemical agents , batons and physical force against protesters , according to the report . Protesters at other demonstrations have been met with chokeholds and rocks thrown by police , the report said . Puerto Rico has used excessive force that has violated and suppressed people 's right to exercise free speech , the Justice Department said . There is also evidence of unlawful search and seizure that violate the Fourth Amendment . Many of the abuses come from the police department 's strategy of sending tactical officers for community policing , according to the report . The Justice Department also found the police department fails to police sex crimes and cases of domestic violence , and discriminates by targeting people of Dominican descent . `` We find that these deficiencies will lead to constitutional violations unless they are addressed , '' the report said . It is a `` longstanding practice '' of the department to use force -- including deadly force -- in cases where lesser force or no force would have sufficed , the report said , adding that hundreds of people have been unnecessarily injured . The Justice Department also contends that there are problems not just with the way the Puerto Rico police department carries out its functions , but among the officers themselves . Between 2005 and 2010 , there were more than 1,700 arrests of police officers on charges ranging from theft to murder , the report said . Current police policies fail to guide officers , and there is a lack of oversight by superiors , according to the report . Training is also insufficient , it said . Puerto Rico Gov . Luis Fortuno said Thursday that long before the Justice Department report , his administration had already sent a 150-page study to federal authorities outlining changes the police would undertake . Fortuno said he was aware there were problems at the police department for years . The governor also said that police have been meeting with the Dominican community in Puerto Rico to address issues of discrimination in policing . One aspect of the report that Fortuno did not address was police corruption . The Puerto Rico Police Department is the second-largest in the United States . Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez described the crime situation in Puerto Rico as serious . There have been 786 killings so far this year in what looks to be a record-setting year . One refrain that federal investigators heard repeatedly in Puerto Rico is that they had to make a choice between preserving public safety and abiding by the Constitution . `` I categorically reject that false choice , '' Perez said . He said history has shown that crime declines when the public has confidence in its police . `` Reforming the department wo n't be easy , and it will take time , '' Perez said . He gave Fortuno 's government credit for giving investigators access to documents and personnel since the probe was opened in 2008 . Nationwide , there are 17 investigations such as the one in Puerto Rico against police departments in the United States , Perez said . Such probes are designed to make systematic changes in those departments . The American Civil Liberties Union , one of the groups that pushed for the investigation , said the report confirmed the level of violence and corruption in the Puerto Rico Police Department . `` With the facts laid bare , it is now the responsibility of the Puerto Rican government and the Justice Department to make sure the police abuse and brutality end as quickly as possible , '' ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement . Journalist Dania Alexandrino contributed to this report .
NEW : ACLU says report confirms level of violence and corruption among police . NEW : Puerto Rican governor says he is already making changes . The Justice Department says civil rights are being violated by police in Puerto Rico . Comment: