Overview
- Glauce Anselmo Cavalli’s appointment, published Thursday in the state’s official register, makes her the first woman to command São Paulo’s Military Police and one of only two women leading a state force in Brazil.
- She succeeds Coronel José Augusto Coutinho, and the government also named Coronel Mário Kitsuwa as deputy commander of the 80,000‑member force.
- Cavalli, 50, joined the police in 1997 and built a technical profile in logistics, finance, legal coordination, and communications, with a master’s and doctorate in Police Sciences plus law and physical education degrees.
- The change in command comes as São Paulo reports an 8.1% rise in feminicides to 266 cases in 2025, and after the high‑profile death of soldier Gisele Alves Santana led to the arrest of her husband, a lieutenant colonel.
- O Globo reported Friday that at least six of the 64 active coronels plan to retire, with three confirmed, citing military hierarchy norms that discourage serving under an officer from a later graduating class.