Police+corruption+in+Mexico


 * Police Corruption in Mexico **

[[image:scale~1000x5000x0x0~0104ffmexi-1418770937-31.jpg width="524" height="304"]]
====**There comes a point when a country must draw the line to split those who are involved in organized crime and those who are fighting against it. With public officials aiding organized crime for their own benefits, Mexico continues to lose their war against drugs by the hand of their own law enforcements. For organized crime to survive especially in such a prospering trafficking and trade system such as Mexico’s, there must be corruption. **====

**Development of Police in Mexico (Timeline) **
====**Mexico follows the federal system government, but policing duties are separated between the federal, state, and municipal government. Mexico has one of the largest police forces in the world but because of corruption they are rather ineffective compared to how effective they could be. Mexico has tried to fight the corruption within their agencies by dismissing officers and at times entire departments. As Charles Bowden said, “in over a half century of fighting drugs, Mexico has never created a police unit that did not join the traffickers.” **====

====**Mexico has put their efforts towards the faults within police agencies. Many of the presidents in Mexico have worked on reforming to better the police agencies. From the early 80’s Presidents Miguel de la Madrid (1982-1988) and Carlos Salinas de de Gotari (1988-1994) worked heavily to cripple the corruption in their country. The Dirección Federal de Seguridad (Federal Security Directorate, DFS), whose duty was preserving the internal ****stability of Mexico against all forms subversion and terrorist threats, was involved with the murder of a U.S agent by the name of Enrique Camarena Salazar. This took place in the 80’s during Miguel de la Madrid’s presidency as he made it his duty to terminate the DFS, as they were notorious for aiding the Guadalajara Cartel in their drug-trafficking works. This is the way organized crime is able to survive because they are able to employ officials which helps their fight against the law and other criminal organizations. **====

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**Reform **
====**President Ernesto Zedillo (1994 – 2000) was a big reason for the turning point to security in Mexico and how it is overlooked. Himself along with his administration brought about the National Public Safety System in Mexico which has an extensive list of people who look over it: President, Ministry councils, Attorney General, all governors, and the mayor of the federal district. After this Zedillo’s administration was also able to bring about the Public Security Support Fund, which is still active today. This fund helps to support the each state along with the fight against corruption. Much of the reason that the corruption is prevalent is because the money offered by criminal organizations. Whitney Eulich who reported on possible reform in regards to Mexican policing said that the police are very under qualified; many have only finished elementary school, and nearly half of the municipal police only make $325 a month. Now where close enough to make a solid living off. Comparing this to the statistics Michael Kelly brings it is clear why the corruption is alive and well, because cartels spend more then one billion dollar bribing municipal police each year. The corruption goes beyond simply paying off officials as Kelly states many replica Mexican military uniforms are made to help cartels complete crimes. This goes a long way in supporting Laurie Freeman, a former associate of the Washington Office on Latin America as she stated, “doing business [in Mexico] entails bribing and intimidating public officials and law enforcement and judicial agents [...] organized crime cannot survive without corruption.”**====

====**The Calderon administration, which was in office from 2006 – 2012, also worked to bring justice to Mexico by working on their reform. Calderon’s idea was to have military led operations to fight against Mexico’s crime and violence. He also wanted to put some of the pressure onto the civilian authorities to assume the role of fighting crime. As Mexico was trying to change their judiciary system, Calderon knew that this was not the root of the issue, he choose to focus his reform on the fight against organized crime rather then trying to change the judiciary system for he knew how long and tedious this would take. One of the great things that came about during Calderon’s administration is the Comprehensive Strategy for Police Development which came with four components: the professionalization of the police, having a civil service path for the law enforcers, having a well disciplined regime, and crating a complementary social security system.**====

====**It is very clear that Mexico is trying to work to better their police forces but they must not simply think about pleasing their citizens by trying to fight organized crime they must make their police happy. They must make their police want to work an honest job, with such low wages they do not feel the need fight crime when it is convenient for them. The number complaints made by police on human rights violations had increased during the Calderon administration. It is not because what Calderon was doing was wrong because he was trying to fight organized crime. But because the police forces were not being treated how they felt the deserved they were not happy with how their rights were being treated which of course would lead to them not having much of a problem working for organized criminal organizations especially if their treatment towards the police was more generous.**====

====**The corruption in Mexican policing is alive daily, but there are certain events that catch more attention then a simple police payoff. One of the more recent major corruption events that caught the eyes of the world if that cases of the 43 missing students in Guerrero, Mexico. A few busses caring many college kids were ambushed by uniformed officers who killed six people injured more then twenty and were responsible for the disappearance of Forty-Three others.These students were redirected by these uniformed police official into the hands of known cartel members who have said that they incinerated these 43 students. The reason this is seen as such a corrupt act is because instead of dealing with these young adults how they should have these police let the lives of these 43 young men be taken by the criminals they should have been fighting. **====
 * (To learn more about corrupt events in Mexico follow the external link on corrupt cases) **


 * External Link **

[|Info On Zedillos Reform]

[|List of Some Corrupt Cases]

[|The 43 Missing Students]