In Mexico's drug wars, police given 'trust test'
Hundreds of police have been suspended in a bid to stem trafficking-related corruption.
By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the June 27, 2007 edition
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Mexico City - In removing nearly 300 top federal police officers, Mexico has taken its boldest stand yet against corruption as it seeks to curtail drug traffickers whose fierce fighting has some calling Mexico the "new" Colombia.
This week, Mexico's public safety secretary, Genaro Garcia Luna, announced that the officers, including all the top regional coordinators from each state, will have to undergo "trust tests." The move targets the bribes, payoffs, and enticements that some officers take from traffickers, allowing the battles for lucrative routes into the US to flourish.
The effort is President Felipe Calderón's latest bid to battle trafficking that has left some 1,300 people dead this year, according to local media tallies. Since taking office in December, the conservative president, who has worked with the US on extraditions of alleged cartel bosses, has sent 24,000 military and police personnel to violent spots in an unprecedented display of power.
Some say this decision acknowledges the severity of corruption and shows a willingness to tackle it head-on. Others see a publicity stunt that follows the same logic as deploying the military to fight trafficking, something they say grabbed headlines but has achieved little.
The 284 officers dismissed come from the Federal Preventive Police and the Federal Agency of Investigation, which work with the military to tackle drug battles that have not only claimed record numbers of people this year but have become ever more gruesome.
Mexican authorities frequently fire or rotate police officers to prevent corruption, but this is the first time that the top officials nationwide have been the targets.
"They are sending a signal that they are trying to clean house," says Ana Maria Salazar, a national-security expert in Mexico City who was the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for drug enforcement policy and support in the Clinton administration. "I think you have to make these dramatic decisions to combat corruption. What they have done is send a message to the rest below that nobody is immune; if they can cut off the heads, they can easily go after all the others."
Mr. Garcia Luna said at a press conference Monday that the decision is part of the national plan to demand ethics, discipline, and transparency in the fight for public security. "We are well aware that the Mexican people are demanding police be honest, clean, and trustworthy," he said. "It's obvious that there are mafias that don't want the situation to change so they can continue to enrich themselves under the protection of corruption and crime."
Under the plan, officers are required to pass drug tests and polygraphs. Their family members and friends could be questioned and their assets examined. A spokesperson at the public security ministry said it is unclear whether those demoted will eventually return to their former posts. None will be fired, however, and they will maintain their ranks while they are investigated.
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