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Woman, 20, New Police Chief of Violent Mexican Town
The Mexican town of Guadalupe Distrito Bravo had a problem -- no one wanted to be police chief. And with good reason; the town is plagued by drug violence and murders. But up stepped perhaps the bravest young woman you'll ever meet.
20-year-old criminology student Marisol Valles Garcia has been named the chief of police of Guadalupe. It is one of the most dangerous municipalities in Mexico's violence-wracked northern state of Chihuahua.
Valles Garcia has a tough task ahead of her. At least eight people were murdered in the town last week alone. The former mayor was assassinated in June, and local police are routinely kidnapped and murdered.
Two bodyguards have been assigned to protect Valles Garcia. While hit men for the cartels have been more than able to penetrate much tighter security details, killing mayors and police chiefs throughout northern Mexico, she says she isn't afraid.
Valles Garcia said the cartels should not fear her because it is not her job to fight drug trafficking. She said during her swearing-in ceremony that that is the responsibility of other government agencies.
She said her 12-member police force would focus on preventative programs for schools and neighborhoods, rehabilitating public spaces and fostering better relationships between neighbors in order to improve general security.
"My people are out there going door to door, looking for criminals, and (in homes) where there are none, trying to teach values to the families," she said.
28,000 people have been killed in drug violence in Mexico since a crackdown began four years ago. A good number of those deaths have been in the state of Chihuahua.
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Comments
Good luck
Good luck to her.
Never too young to engage in corruption
Nothing like a police chief who's first order of business is to tell organized criminals she will do absolutely nothing to interfere with their criminal enterprizes.
It kind of makes you wonder if some of the assassinations are of corrupt officials by honest citizens.
I see
Do you have any suggestions for her on how to stand up to the gangs? It was clear from the article I read that the gangs are MUCH better armed and trained than the police. This isn't really a case of needing a backbone so much as needing more guns and people who know how to use them. It's sort of like a Three Amigos situation, from what I can tell.
I think you're missing the point
If she's not willing to stand up to the gangs, she's not doing the job. The net result is there is no practical difference between filling the position with a rank incompetent and simply leaving the position vacant.
Of course, the simple solution in Mexico would be to repeal its totalarian gun laws that have striped citizens of the means to defend themselves and their country. Alternately, or in addition to, treat the cartels as the enemy military forces they are, instead of common criminals, and declair war on them. The situation calls for Predator drones, not search warrants.
I agree the military should step in
But I don't agree that they don't need a police chief. The programs she claims to be pursing aren't useless. Admittedly, people would probably rather have the streets safe again, but since she was the only one to apply, nothing was really lost.