Following Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903, its first president, Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero, dissolved the National Army after a failed mutiny in 1904 and a warning from the United States that a Panamanian military could threaten the stability of the Panama Canal Zone.

With the few officers remaining on active duty, he formed a Military Police Corps with limited capabilities.

The Great Depression drastically affected the Military Police Corps, reducing their personnel to just 200 officers and rendering their barracks vulnerable to looting and property destruction.

Commissioner Jorge Miranda Molina, assumed the position as Director General of the National Police on July 4, 2019, in the first simultaneous change of command ceremony chaired by Laurentino Cortizo Cohen.

Sworn offices consist of the following ranks:[4] The police in Panama have numerous vehicles at their disposal.