Mexico aims to make bad cops good

Even president says law enforcement needs makeover

September 21, 1995
Web posted at 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420 GMT)

From Correspondent Lucia Newman

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- When the Mexican government set out to grab one of that nation's biggest drug traffickers in June, it used the army to do the job. Authorities acknowledged the police were just too corrupt to handle matters.

A former deputy attorney general in charge of narcotics is now under arrest in the United States, awaiting possible extradition on charges he amassed millions of dollars while in office. His case is just one example of why Mexico's law enforcement system is widely despised and feared.

"The citizens have every reason to feel exasperated when they see that the very people who are entrusted with safeguarding order and imparting justice are in many cases those who disregard it."

Ernesto Zedillo, president of Mexico

"The citizens have every reason to feel exasperated when they see that the very people who are entrusted with safeguarding order and imparting justice are in many cases those who disregard it," said Mexico's president, Ernesto Zedillo.

Now, under instructions from Zedillo, Attorney General Antonio Lozano has announced a new plan to reform and restructure law enforcement -- a plan meant to root out corruption, impunity and abuse of power right at its source.

"We want to change the image of law enforcement, ensure that it complies strictly with the law," Lozano said. "We want to change that image of a corrupt and delinquent police force."

Lozano said programs funded by the sale of property confiscated from drug traffickers will re-train police to fight organized crime. Still, he and other officials recognize it will be a long, slow process.

The fight against corruption and narcotics represents a commitment not only to the Mexican people but also to Washington, where Zedillo will begin a state visit early next month.

"There has been a lot of misinformation about progress that's been made in Mexico," said James Jones, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. "I think these kinds of measures, plus President Zedillo's visit to Washington, will have a positive effect on our relations."

Everyone agrees that the intention is good. But in a country wary of promises made many times before, only long-term, concrete results will convince Mexicans that a state of law is really in the making.

Mexico aims to make bad cops good

Even president says law enforcement needs makeover

"The citizens have every reason to feel exasperated when they see that the very people who are entrusted with safeguarding order and imparting justice are in many cases those who disregard it."

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