Jb-cj Report Eng

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A Comprehensive Assessment of the

Municipal Police of Ciudad Jurez

2011

Final Report

JusticiabarmetroSurvey of Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez


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Copyright Justice in Mexico Project, 2011.

Report prepared by Marcos Pablo Moloeznik, David A. Shirk, and Maria Eugenia

Surez de Garay

Participating Institutions:

Trans-Border Institute (TBI)

University of San Diego

5998 Alcal Park, San Diego, CA 92103

www.sandiego.edu/tbi

Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)

Km. 18.5 carretera Tijuana Ensenada, San Antonio del Mar,

Tijuana, Baja California, Mxico, C.P. 22560

www.colef.net

El Colegio de Chihuahua (COLECH)

Anillo envolvente del PRONAF y Partido Daz s/n, Col. Progresista,

Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, Mxico, C.P. 32315

www.colech.edu.mx

Comisin Nacional para Prevenir y Erradicar la Violencia contra las Mu-

jeres (CONAVIM)

Secretara de Gobernacin

Paseo de la Reforma 99, Col. Tabacalera, Del. Cuauhtmoc,

Mxico D.F. C.P. 06030

www.conavim.gob.mx

ISBN-10: 0983567433

ISBN-13: 9780983567431


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JusticiabarmetroSurvey of Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez

A Comprehensive Assessment of the

Municipal Police of Ciudad Jurez

2011

Final Report


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Index

Prologue: 7

Introduction: 9

Evaluating Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez 9

The Context of Ciudad Jurez:Public Security Challenges in Ciudad Jurez11

Focus of the Study:

Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez13

Methodology of the Study:

General Considerations and Population Surveyed17

Results of the Study:

Socio-DemographicProleof thePolice18 ProfessionalProleofthePolice20

WorkingConditions22

WorkEnvironment,Treatment,andInterpersonalRelations26

EquipmentandUniforms.28

Training,TechnicalKnowledge,andDueProcess30

Salaries and Other Forms of Compensation34 Values,Corruption,andTrustTests36

GenderPerceptionsandTreatmentof Women38

Perceptionsof Crime,Society,andPublicPolicy40

ConclusionsandRecommendations46


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Prologue

Thisreportpresentsarstlookattheresultsfromthestudy

titledJusticiabarmetro: Comprehensive Study of Municipal Policein Ciudad Jurez, which was designed to evaluate the provi-

sion of public security in one of Mexicos most troubled cities

through the viewpoints, experiences, and opinions of law enforce-mentofcersthemselves.Todoso,thisstudyreliedontwodistinct

methodological approaches:

1) A qualitative inquiry into the structural and organizational condi-tions present within the Ciudad Jurez Department of Public Se-

curity (Secretara de Seguridad Pblica Municipal de Ciudad Jurez,

SSPM), using a variety of techniques including participant obser-vation,individualandgroupinterviews,focusgroupstudies,eld

visits, seminars, and analysis of archival documents that allowedfor detailed analysis of three priority areas in police institutions: or-

ganizational and operational, intelligence and counter-intelligence,and psychology, health, and work atmosphere;

2)Aquantitativeanalysisof theorganizationalculturethatprevailswithin the SSPM through a survey of the entire police department

to examine their experiences and opinions regarding their profes-sional careers, working conditions, adherence to due process, and

relations to crime and society.

In the process, this study provides unique insights into the knowl-edge, attitudes, and opinions of local police, public security

administrators,andeldpersonnelwithregardtoawiderangeof issues related to their work. Moreover, this research complements

and builds on the results of an earlier Justiciabarmetro conductedin the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone (Zona Metropolitana de

Guadalajara,ZMG)in2009.Thatstudy,whichfocusedonlocalpolice departments in six socio-economically diverse municipalities

7

Overview and Acknowledgements

JusticiabarmetroCiudad Jurez

Ciudad Jurez


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constituted the largest independent survey of its kind ever con-ducted in Mexico. While this second study in Ciudad Jurez focuses

only on a single law enforcement agency, it happens to be one ofthemostscrutinizedamongMexicosmorethan2,400municipalpolice departments due to the severe public security challenges

faced in that city and local authorities long-standing inability to puta stop to rampant crime and violence. As such, this study provides

new insights into these problems, useful lines of inquiry for futureresearch, and recommendations that have been presented to and

in some cases adopted by local authorities in Ciudad Jurez.

Acknowledgements

The Justicabarmetro is a research initiative coordinated by the

JusticeinMexicoProject,whichsince2005hasbeenbasedattheTrans-Border Institute, located within the Joan B. Kroc School of

Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. The Justice in MexicoProject actively promotes research, analysis, dialogue, and policysolutions to confront a variety of urgent problems related to public

security and the rule of law in Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico borderregion.

The Justiciabarmetro initiative has two main lines of inquiry tostudy the operators of Mexicos criminal justice system, onefocusingonpoliceofcersinvolvedintheprovisionof publicsecurity and the other focusing on prosecutors, judges, and public

defenders involved in the administration of justice. As noted above,the research into these lines of inquiry involves both in-depth

qualitative analysis and large-scale quantitative studies, which aredesigned to complement each other and help penetrate the curtain

that often obscures what goes on inside government agencies andinstitutions.

The Justicabarmetro study of municipal police in Ciudad Jurezbenetedfromthegenerousnancialsupportof theOpenSociety

Institute, The Tinker Foundation, and The William and FloraHewlett Foundation, all of which are dedicated to improving access

to information about Mexicos governance challenges, including theprovision of public security, accountability and transparency, andaccess to justice. In addition, the Justiciabarmetro study in Ciudad

Jurez could not have been carried out without close institutionalcollaboration among the National Commission for the Prevention

and Eradication of Violence Against Women of the Ministry ofInterior (Comisin Nacional para Prevenir y Erradicar la Violencia

contra las Mujeres, CONAVIM, de la Secretara de Gobernacin,SEGOB), the Municipal Government of Ciudad Jurez, the Co-

legio de Chihuahua (COLECH), the Colegio de la Frontera Norte(COLEF), and the University of San Diego, under the auspices ofa collaborative agreement signed by participating institutions to

facilitate the inter-institutional and cross-disciplinary exchange ofknowledge and ideas.

As the principle investigators of the study, the authors of this re-

port also wish to acknowledge the other members of the researchteamthatcontributedtotheprojectthroughintensiveeldvisitsand background research: Dante Haro Jaime, Francisco J. Gutirrez

Rodrguez, Jos Francisco Ornelas, and Alfonso Quintero Amador.Also imperative was the knowledge and numerous individual

contributions of local scholars who informed and guided the

on-the-ground research as members of the projects ConsultativeCommittee: Howard Campbell, Cesar Fuentes, Carlos Gonzlez

Herrera, Julia Monrrez, Antonio Payn Alvarado, and RodolfoRubio. We also appreciate the input of numerous other colleagueswho provided their insights and recommendations in the devel-

opment of the study: Elena Azaola, John Bailey, Jeffrey Berman,Carlos Mercado, Daniel Sabet, and Guillermo Zepeda Lecuona.

The authors owe a special debt of gratitude to Justice in MexicoProject Coordinator Octavio Rodrguez Ferreira for his effective

management of an extraordinarily complex project involving manydifferent institutions and experts, as well as his direct contributionsto the writing and editing of this report.

The survey component of this study was completed by the poll-

ingrmDataOpininPblicayMercados(www.dataopm.net),directed by Dr. Pablo Pars. The technical team was managed by

CarlosLpezandtheeldteamwascoordinatedbyFernandoLuna and Elizabeth Bautista, and included Mara Hernndez, PerlaNavarrete, Erick Trenti, Nahum Prieto, and Mario Carrillo. The

projectalsobenettedfromtheadministrativesupportof TBIAs-sistant Director Charles Pope and Operations Coordinator Stepha-

nie Borrowdale, as well as research assistance from Gladys Avalos,

Sophia Carrillo, Gayle Hazard, Morayma Jimnez, and LorenaQuezada. TBI Research Associate Kimberly Heinle was instrumen-tal in the translation of the Spanish language version of this reportinto English, with minor adaptations to accommodate international

audiences. Wherever indicated, the images included in this reportwere produced by professional photographer Jonathan Lowenstein

and made available by NOOR Images, while other images weregenerated by the Justiciabarmetro team.

The authors and other contributors to this study hope that,through this highly collaborative effort, we are all able to contribute

to the making of a better police force in Ciudad Jurez and, in thelong run, a better system of justice in Mexico. Today, we are certain

that there could never be a new democratic police in any countrystate, city, or community if we forget something fundamental: the

human component. Here, then, is our attempt to examine that ele-ment and to help one of Mexicos most challenged cities to build apolice force for the future. We owe this above all to the thousands

of ofcerswhocontributedtheirtime,perspectives,andtrusttofacilitate this study.

CiudadJurez,Chihuahua,September20,201

Dr. Marcos Pablo Moloeznik

Dr. David A. ShirkDra. Mara Eugenia Surez de Garay

8Justiciabarmetro Ciudad Jurez


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Introduction

Most efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of public securityin Mexico tend to concentrate on levels of crime

and violence, on citizens opinions and perspectives, orvictims experiences. For example, the Institu to Ciudadano de Es-

tudios Sobre la Inseguridad (ICESI) produces a large survey ofvictimization each year. Mxico Evala, another non-governmentalorganization, generates an index of the levels of crime found

at the national and state levels. As a result of these and similar

efforts, we know a great deal about how the public assesses theperformance of Mexicos criminal justice system. Yet, while suchstudies offer useful measures and evaluations about the outcomes

of institutional performance, they do not provide information onthe internal attributes and institutional functioning of the agencies

responsible for these outcomes. As a result, the criminal justicesystem itself remains a black box about which we know surpris-ingly little.

In particular, there have been very few efforts to gauge the profes-

sionalprolesandperspectivesof thosethatoperatethecriminaljustice system. Such research is sorely needed to measure the levels

of professional development and the attitudes of these actors,and to chart a course for the future. In particular, greater effort is

needed to understand the limitations and challenges confrontingthe main operators of the criminal justice system: police, prosecu-

tors, public defenders, and judges.

One of the best research initiatives to advance this objective

wasaJanuary2007studycoordinatedbyMiguelSarre, titled

Barmetro Local : A Study of Due Process (Barmetro local:Una silueta del debido proceso), which combined information ondue process and the functioning of the judicial system in various

states in Mexico. Another example is the Culture of Legali typroject by Roy Godson of Georgetown University, which

seeks to gauge and improve the internal norms, values, and infor-mal practices of police departments. Both studies helped inspirethis research, and iillustrate that the success of any judicial sector

reform effort hinges not only on carefully regulating the operatorsof the criminal justice system, but also on promoting their profes-

sional development and their active engagement in the process ofreform.

Evaluating Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez

Image by Jon Lowenstein

Ciudad Jurez

Image courtesy of Jon Lowenstein/NOOR


10/5210Justiciabarmetro

Among the important operators of the criminal justice system,

Mexican police are particularly reviled and frequently disparaged.Mexican citizens view their law enforcement authorities as woefullyineffective, thoroughly corrupt, and frequently prone to abusive

and criminal behavior, although it is important to mention thatpolice are curiously held in higher esteem than unions, legislators,

andpoliticalparties(ConsultaMitofsky,2010,Economa, gobierno,y poltica).Dailyheadlinesseemtoconrmpublicperceptions,

as impunity reigns and police are found to be involved in seri-ouscriminaloffenses.Municipalpoliceofcersareofparticularconcern because they account for the vast majority of the countrys

morethan300,000lawenforcementofcers,andhavebyfarthemost contact with the public.

Concerns about municipal police were the driving force behind

MexicanPresidentFelipeCaldernsOctober6,2010securityproposal to the Senate to revise Mexicos Constitution. This reformwould dissolve many municipal police agencies, merge qualifying

ofcersintostatelawenforcementagencies,andformauniedcommand (mando nico) at the state level. Dissolution would

apply to those local law enforcement agencies that failed to comply

withspeciedrequirements,buteveninthecaseoflocaldepart-ments that met these requirements they would answer directly tothe state governor and not to the mayor of their own municipality.

Ontheonehand,asignicantpartoftheargumentthatsupportseliminating local law enforcement agencies and unifying police

commands at the state level has to do with the threat presentedby organized crime groups, which in many cases are able to easily

overwhelm or corrrupt inadequately trained, ill-equipped, andpoorlypaidlocalpoliceofcers.Advocatesof unicationpointtothegreaterresources,economiesof scale,andefciencyoftrain-

ing and managing police under a single, state-level administrativeumbrella.

On the other hand, the presumption that this proposal will im-

prove policing rests on the idea that state police are somehow lesssusceptible to the problems that are found at the local level. Unfor-tunately,thisnotionisdirectlycontradictedbysignicantevidence

of thecorruptionof state-levelofcialsbyorganizedcrimegroupsinrecentyears.Moreover,themovementtointroduceaunied

command ignores the importance of local community policingand problem solving as vital measures to improve public safety.

Finally, despite the relatively limited availability about the source ofthoseproblems,proponentsofpoliceunicationoftenwrongly

assume that the problems confronting local police departments areinsurmountable.

As this report went to press, Calderns proposed initiative remainsunder consideration in Mexicos Congress, and is in need of more

information about the challenges confronted by local police depart-ments. The Justiciabarmetro study of Ciudad Jurez one of

Mexicos most troubled therefore comes at an important momentof reectionontheroleandfutureof municipalpoliceinMexico,and hopefully sheds some light on these critical questions. The study

provides rich qualitative and quantitative indicators to help under-stand the needs and weaknesses of this particular department, but

also to help evaluate the type of police reforms that Mexico needs.

Forexample,amongthekeyndingsofthesurveyweresevere

decienciesintrainingandequipment,alackof merit-basedhiringcriteria and civil service protections, high levels of distrust amonglaw enforcement personnel, and severe problems of coordination

with state and federal law enforcement agencies. Over half theforce indicated that they do not have the equipment that they need

to do their job, including adequate police uniforms, and half saidthat the condition of available equipment was bad (33%) or very

bad (17%).

Respondents demonstrated a basic knowledge of proper law

enforcement protocols, but also expressed a fairly strong desire formoretraining(47%).85%saidthattheyhavenoopportunityto

practicetheproperuseofarearmonaregularbasis,55%indi-cated that they do not receive any breaks during their shift, and a

signicantportion(47%)indicatedthattheydonothaveadequatetime to exercise during their shift.

Amongvariousquestionsaboutlawenforcementintegrity,60%ofrespondents indicated that honesty is the most important virtue of

apoliceofcer,butonly40%believedthatitwasthevirtuemost

presentontheforce.Meanwhile,onascaleof0to4,roughly65%indicatedthatthethelevelof corruptionwasat2orhigherand36%of respondentsfeltthatthelevelwasabove3.Intermsof where such corruption is located, 44% of respondents indicated

thatitwasfoundatthehighestlevels,29%indicatedthatcorrup-tion was found at all levels, and the remainder indicated corruption

was found only in at lower or middle management levels.

Overall,suchndingssuggestconsistentwithearlierJus-ticiabarmetrondingsinGuadalajarathattheproblemsconfrontinglocalpoliceinCiudadJurezreectdeep-seated

institutional problems which are shared among municipal po-lice departments in many parts of Mexico. These will no doubt

take considerable time and effort to resolve. This survey helps tomeasure the challenges the department faces, and sets a baseline

for evaluating reform efforts over the coming years, regardless ofwhether Mexican authorities opt to rely on a decentralized modelof policingorshifttoauniedcommand.

Ciudad Jurez


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Beginninginthe1990s,CiudadJurezgainedareputa-

tion as a city with severe law enforcement problems, duelargely to the brutal murders and disappearances of hun-

dreds of young women (many of which were subject to sexualviolence and mutilation). Underscoring the lack of professional-

ism in state and local law enforcement, police investigations intothesecaseswereseverelycompromised:policeleswereoften

incomplete, investigators were careless about evidence collec-

tion, and the analysis of victims remains was often unprofes-sional. Indeed, evidence was often fabricated and remains weremisidentied,causingvictimsfamilieswhichwereoften

treated disrespectfully by police to re-live the murders overand over.

While many of these murders remain unresolved, the focus on

public security in Ciudad Jurez has shifted in recent years dueto a new and more widespread set of public security challenges.Specically,overthelastthreeyears,asurgeindrug-related

killings has made Ciudad Jurez the most violent city in Mexico.

The recent violence in Ciudad Jurez was provoked and contin-ues to be driven by the dynamics of competition among crimi-nal organizations vying for the control of production zones,

trafckingroutestotheborder,andaccesstothelucrative

consumer market in the United States. In other words, the

conditionsthatmakeCiudadJurezabattleeldfortheseor-ganizations have to do with the strategic importance of the

border as a gateway to the U.S. market and the disposition ofthe economy of the border region and the workforce.

In2008alone,therewereover1,600cartel-relatedkillings

inthestateof Chihuahua,arateof nearly50per100,000

people(vetimesthenationalhomiciderate).Therateof

killings was much higher in Ciudad Jurez, where muchof theviolencewasconcentrated.In2009,CiudadJurez

experiencedmorethan2,500drug-relatedhomicides.In2010,thenumberexceeded2,600.Withapopulationof

1.4 million people in Ciudad Jurez, the citys homicide ratestandsatroughly190per100Kinhabitants(about9times

the rate considered to be epidemic by the WHO). The shapeof conictsbetweenorganizedcrimegroupsareoftenun-predictable,sincetheyareinuencedbyidiosyncraticfactors

like changes in leadership and arrests, personal rivalries, and

bad business deals.

During the last two decades, the movement of the illicit mar-

ket through Jurez was dominated by the Carrillo Fuentes

Public Security Challenges in Ciudad Jurez

Justiciabarmetro

The Context of Ciudad Jurez

Image by Jon Lowenstein

Ciudad Jurez


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Organization, also know as the Jurez Cartel or often referred

to simply as La Lnea, which is the name of its branch thatis primarily focused on executions. It is believed that for a

long time La Lnea was protected by a group of corrupt police

from the Secretary of Municipal Public Security (Secretara deSeguridad Pblica Municipal, SSPM) in Ciudad Jurez. Since

early2008,aschismbetweentheCarrilloFuentesOrganiza-tionanditsformerpartnersinthedrugtrafckingorgani-zationknownastheSinaloaCartelhasresultedinaerce

struggletocontroltrafckingroutesthroughCiudadJurez.

This violence much of which is directed at police isalso linked to the citys large number of young, disassociated

malesbetweentheagesof 18and35whoareoftenreferred

to as the ni-nis because they neither study, nor work (ni

estudian, ni trabajan). This ni-ni population is part of thegeneration that was born during the so-called lost decade of

the1980s,whenthenationaleconomyofMexicoenteredintoa prolonged period of crisis and instability with a sharp cur-rencydevaluation,whichresultedinadifcultrestructuring

and opening up to the global economy. Mexico agreed to theGeneralAgreementonTariffsandTrade(GATT)in1986and

eventually signed the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) in 1994, changes that were devastating for many in-

dustries in Mexico but that represented great opportunities forthe export sector in the border region. This led the number ofmaquiladoraplants,specicallyelectronicsandhightechnol-

ogy, to grow in a spectacular manner along the border.

According to the Observatorio de Jurez, among all homicidesin2009,youngmenbetweentheagesof 20and35repre-sentedroughly60%of thevictimsinCiudadJurez(farmore

than their proportion of the population). This segment of the

population, made up mostly of the so-called ni-nis, driveup the already elevated mortality rates due to the fact thatthey grow up in fertile grounds for gang recruitment, which

have become small armies for the criminal organizations. Sois the case with the so-called Barrio Azteca gang, which is

active in jails and streets in the United States and Mexico andoperates under the orders of the Jurez Cartel, or the two

small local gangs known as Artistas Asesinos (also known as

AA, Double A/Doble A) and the Mexicles that work for the

Sinaloa Cartel.

Finally, at the time of this study it was clear that the security

situation in Ciudad Jurez was accompanied by a deep senseof social division and distrust: (1) between civic groups, gov-

ernmentauthorities,andthemedia;(2)amongcivicgroups

of different socioeconomic class and political orientation;

(3) between authorities, civic groups, and the media; and (4)between authorities from different levels of government. Dif-

ferent agencies and levels of government appear to distrusteach other, and suspect that their partner agencies have beenpenetrated by organized crime. In sum, they have little desire

to work together. Meanwhile, civic groups often eye eachother with skepticism, citizens blame the government for the

ongoing violence, and authorities repeatedly claim that civicorganizations and other critics (e.g., the media) are motivated

by political agendas.

The polarization of government and society is particularly

troubling since, for some sectors of the community, thegovernmentseffortstocombatdrugtrafckingorganizations

appeartoenjoylesslegitimacyandsupportthanthetrafckers

themselves.Thisispartlybecausedrugtrafckersarealso

family members, co-workers, and loved ones who are embed-dedinsupportivesocialnetworks.Whenadrugtrafckeris

arrested, abused, or killed, that person may be a son, a father,

a brother, a colleague, or a friend. Despite literally thousandsof deathsandarrestsof drugtrafckersinthepastfewyears,

until recently there had been little effort by authorities or civicgroups to address the broader implications and ripple effectsthatthiskindof traumahasinictedonsociety.

Justiciabarmetro

Organized Crime Related Homicides in Ciudad Jarez

Source: Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pblica

Ciudad Jurez


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The primary objective of Justiciabarmetro in Ciudad Jurezwas to become more familiar with the experiences and

opinionsof localpoliceofcersasawaytoanalyzethepublic security situation that confronts the department as a whole.The scope of interest included all types of opinions, ideas, and

knowledge among the police with regard to their work.

Therefore, it was fundamental to examine the organizationaldimension of the provision of public security: its framework,

procedures, and practices, both internally and in the community.This made it essential to have the perspectives and input of police

ofcersthemselvesontheseissues,inordertounderstandthefac-tors that shape the experiences of the police work, organizationallife inside the police department, and the on-the-job challenges of

confronting an environment of violence, crime, and fear.

The implementation of Justiciabarmetro in Ciudad Jurez hadsome particularities that responded to the recent history of the

police department, which need to be mentioned here. At the begin-ningof MayorJosReyesFerrizsterm(Octoberof 2007to2010),he began with the argument that the municipal police department

was the most corrupt it had ever been in history, which required aseries of surgical interventions. In his words, at the time it was

necessary to purge immediately and begin to examine the (depart-ments) management, operations, and results to identify the shortes

route to take the reigns from the hands of organized crime. Thecitys diagnostic revealed the necessity of retaking absolute controlof the police command, the police academy, the six police stations

inthecity,patrollingoperations,andthe060EmergencyResponseCenter (Centro de Respuesta Inmediata, CERI) (Reyes Ferriz,

2008:5).Fromthere,themayoroutlinedastrategycenteredoncleansingthepolicedepartmentofitschiefs,ofcers,andcadets,

followed by the subsequent recruitment of civilians and soldiersin theory those either retired or licensed that would conform to

theso-calledNewPolice(NuevaPolica)withcloseto3,000agents

At the same time, crime indices in Ciudad Jurez rose in a dramatic

fashionin2008.Duringtheperiodfrom1996to2006,thetotalnumberof homicideshadmaintainedastableaveragerateof 18

killingspermonth,orabout216annually.In2008,asthedrugwarbegantoheatup,therewere1,600peoplekilled(PoderCiudadano,

2010).Thesehighlevelsofregisteredviolencein2008ledthenMayor Jos Reyes Ferriz to ask for support from the federal gov-ernment to have the military and federal police intervene to help

contain the violence.

Municipal Police in Ciudad Jurez

Justiciabarmetro

Focus of the Study

Ciudad Jurez



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This heightened public security strategy, better known as JointOperation Chihuahua (Operativo Conjunto Chihuahua), deployed2,026membersofthearmedforces,with425ofcersofthefed-

eralpoliceandtheAttorneyGeneralsOfce(ProcuraduraGen-

eraldelaRepblica,PGR)duringitsrstphase(Meyer,Brewer,andCepeda,2010:11).InJuneof2008,theFederalGovernmentorderedtheadditionaldeploymentof 1,400soldierstosupport

thosealreadybasedthere.Afterwards,inMarch2009,thefederalgovernmentsent5,332moresoldierstoCiudadJureztoassumecontrol of the local police department.

However, despite the massive presence of the military throughout

the state and particularly in Ciudad Jurez, violent crime did notdecreaseasanticipated.Onthecontrary,between2008and2009,a

totalof 4,200homicidesoccurred,andin2010aloneitreachedthealarmingnumberof 3,111(Hernndez,2011).Simultaneoustothisescalating violence, violations of human rights also increased dra-

matically, calling into question the original mission of the militaryto come to the city to create an environment of peace and security.

Indeed,withthelaunchofJointOperationChihuahuain2008,the state of Chihuahua led the list of CNDH reports of human

rightsviolationswith199reportsagainstthemilitaryintherstsixmonthsof theyear(Ballinas,2008).

According to Amnesty International, many of these complaintswere related to the policing activities carried out by the military in

the state of Chihuahua, and in particular in Ciudad Jurez. FromMarch2008toSeptember2009,theStateHumanRightsCommis-

sion of Chihuahua (Comisin Estatal de Derechos Humanos deChihuahua,CEDH)andamunicipalofcethatheardcomplaints

inCiudadJurezreceivedmorethan1,300complaintsof militaryabuse, which included at least 14 accounts of forced disappear-ancesand8of extrajudicialexecutions.

Besides emphasizing that large sections of Jurez society were

criticizingthepresenceof themilitary,afrmingthattheywerefar from controlling the situation, there had been an increase in

thelevelsofviolenceandcrimesince2008.Inresponsetothesearguments and following the massacre of 13 youths and two adultsin the Villas de Salvrcar neighborhood, President Felipe Calde-

rnHinojosa(2006-2012)respondedattheendofJanuary2010:Contrary to what some have said, whether by mistake or malice,

the violence in that city is not due to the presence of the federalforces(Lpez,2010).Additionally,heinsistedthatthemurderof

theyoungstudentswasduetoaconictamonggangs.Afterwards,when the second assertion was challenged, his government found

itself apologizingtothevictimsandtheirfamiliesafteraoodof criticism for his insensitivity.

After making three separate visits to Ciudad Jurez in February

2010,thepresidentannouncedanewprogramtitledWeAreAll

Jurez. Lets Reconstruct the City, with an investment of 3.4 mil-lion pesos. This social development project was intended to pre-

vent violence by investing in six main areas: security, education,health, social development, economy, and employment. However,

a year after it was started, various critics in civil society assertedthat the program and the overall counter-drug effort was prov-

ing ineffective. For example, as Hugo Almada, a member of theSecurity Board (Mesa de Seguridad), declared during an interviewin the magazine Proceso:

There are problems since nothing has been achieved. This

is an unnecessary war directed against the poor. They [theauthorities] do not stand up to crimes like money laundering,

politicalcorruption,andcriminalactivitybyofcials;noraretheauthoritiesinterestedinattackingthenancialstructureof the cartels. The action only focuses on the operative part,

the consumers, the majority being poor, or the hit men. Froma tactical point of view, the strategy has been poorly planned.

It lacks intelligence work. This causes the operations to beneither fast nor effective.

--- How have the authorities acted?

The federal forces or the troops were sent to areas of con-ictwithoutanypreviousinvestigation;thisistheproblem

with the strategy. I want to be clear: we do not agree (like we

saidinFebruary2010,whenweaskedforassistanceintheintelligence area) with the lack of response from the federalgovernment [to combat criminal violence].

Sincethebeginningof 2010,thefederalgovernmenthasshifteditssecurity strategy in Ciudad Jurez. However, the pressure from vari-

ous civil, national, and international organizations protesting theuse of the military in public security functions, and especially the

intrusive operations and checkpoints that were affecting the livesof ordinary people, had an important role in the eventual decisionof the government to transfer the oversight of Joint Operation

Chihuahua from the military to the federal police, under the newname Coordinated Operation Chihuahua (Operacin Coordinada

Chihuahua).

Thesechanges,whichoccurredinApril2010,ledtothearrivalof5,000federalpoliceagents,whoweresupportedbybetween2,500and3,000newmunicipalpolice.Thisnewsecuritymeasure,

as part of the We Are All Jurez program, resulted in federalforces taking on the coordination of the municipal and transit

police, and the mayors decision to name Vctor Gutirrez Rosas,a retired military general, as the citys new director of public secu-

rity. With the withdrawal of the military, which was now assignedto guard international ports, airports, main roads, highways, and

14Justiciabarmetro

Jos Reyes Ferriz, presidente municipal (2007-10)

Ciudad Jurez


15/5215 Justiciabarmetro

rural zones in Ciudad Jurez, Jos Reyes Ferriz declared that the

stage of contention with military solutions had ended and thatnow a new stage of police solutions would begin.

What is certain is that the new role of the federal police in con-trolling local security gives them a wide range of responsibilities:

patrolling the streets of Ciudad Jurez; taking control of the Emer-gency and Immediate Response Center (Centro de Emergencia y

Reaccin Inmediata C.E.R.I.); inspecting bars and clubs; investigat-ing cases of kidnapping, extortion, and crimes of high impact; anddismantling criminal networks.

All of these tasks correspond with the functions of a police force

focused on intelligence gathering and criminal investigation.However, this role does not clearly establish their role in preven-

tive measures from the standpoint of citizens security. That iswhy it should be emphasized that these functions attributed to

the federal police while totally necessary do not seem to cor-respond with the preventive functions of municipal police. Thesefunctionsinsteadrequirepolicetogaincitizenscondence,to

search for new social formulas to establish mechanisms of citizencollaboration, and to improve the perceived legitimacy of police

action.

In this regard, if the stage of contention had ended (as as-

serted by the mayor at the time) and the stage of police solu-tions had arrived, there were many questions that remained.

Was the Ciudad Jurez Police Department prepared to becomea primary actor and participant in confronting the problems of

crime and violence? Was the department prepared to propose

plausible solutions in this regard? Was the department capableof establishing a strategic alliance in collaboration with thefederal police? Would a subordinate but supportive relationship

develop, or would there be animosity between them?

And looking at prior decisions affecting the municipal police de-partment, what was the result of the police cleansing process, both

for those that left and those that stayed? Regarding the militarystrategy,howdiditaffecttwopotentiallyconictingobjectives:onewhosemissionistoghtinarmedconictsandtheotherwhose

mission is to protect the community and respect of citizens humanrights?Also,howdidthepoliceviewthemilitarysinuence,as

well as the departure of the military and the initiation of the newfederal police command? In sum, how did these efforts look from

the other side, that is, from the standpoint of the operators of thelocal public security system: the members of the police department

itself?

All of these were critical questions that guided our inquiry in

implementing the Justiciabarmetro research project in the par-ticular context of Ciudad Jurez. At the end of the day, this study

is about those men and women that make up the municipal policeforce in Ciudad Jurez, in a department that has been dramati-cally reshaped by massive cleansings. The departments cleansing

processes were based exclusively on trust tests, practiced under theassumption that most of the departments personnel were involved

with organized crime. However, the hiring new personnel thatwas required subsequently was massive, and the process occurred

Ciudad Jurez



16/52

without many of the precautions needed to ensure that new hireswouldbeof thehigestcaliberandtopreventthere-inltrationof

the department. For example, as discussed later in the report, whileauthoritieshadhopedtoinfusethedepartmentwithnewofcersfrom other states and municipalities as a means to avoid complic-

ity with local organized crime networks, the survey found that themajorityof ofcerswerebornandraisedinCiudadJurezandits

surrounding areas.

Thus, overall, the purge of the police department led to a numberof negativeconsequences,likethesignicantlossofinstitutionalmemory and operational experience, without necessarily addressing

some of the main challenges faced by the department. At the sametime, the process itself created new internal divisions and a certain

degree of distrust on the force between veterans and rookies, cleav-

ages that were accentuated by the use of different uniforms (lightblueandgray,respectively)todistinguishexperiencedofcersfromnew recruits.

Understanding these kinds of contextual factors is essential whenconsideringthendingsofthisstudy,whichinturnshedsnew

light on the challenges and issues confronting efforts to reformthe public security apparatus in Ciudad Jurez. Hence, the research

team incorporated many of the above-noted questions into thestudy, making it necessary to carefully examine the structural and

organizational conditions of the SSPM through various qualitative

research methods. This made it possible to analyze with greaterdetail the viewpoints, priorities, and concerns of local police of-

cersabouttheirorganizationandoperationsinCiudadJurez,with particular consideration of the complex and controversialprocesses recently undergone by the department. Without a doubt,

theresultsobtainedproviderobustempiricalndingsthatofferarmfoundationtounderstandtheperceptions,priorities,andas-

pirations of these essential public servants. These results also nowmakeitpossibletoexaminethedifcultiesandobstaclestolocal

police reform with a level of detail rarely seen in empirical studiesof law enforcement agencies in Mexico.




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Methodology of the Study

General Considerations and Population Surveyed

The information derived from this study is intended to con-tributetotheconstructionof anefcientpublicsecurityappa-

ratus, with the direct participation and opinions of the mostimportant element of a police force: the men and women that make

uptheofcercorps.Justiciabarmetrois,inthissense,arstandimportant attempt to gauge their experiences, views, and recommen-dations.Inthissense,bysurveyingtheseofcers,thisstudyseeksto

establish a set of baseline indicators that illustrate the capabilities andweaknesses of the department, against which future improvements

can be measured. Beyond this, this study also aspires to contributepolicy recommendations, strategies, and targets for the short, medium,

and long term in order to help modernize the municipal police depart-ment of Ciudad Jurez.

For the reasons noted earlier, Ciudad Jurez is one of Mexicos most

difcultpublicsecuritycontexts.Inthisstudy,theJusticiabarmetroteam attempted to understand the citys primary public security con-cerns and to gauge the institutional capacity of municipal police forces

to address these challenges. As noted previously, the project team usedboth a qualitative and a quantitative diagnostic approach. First, in the

initial phase of this project, the research team conducted multiplemeetingswithlocalexperts,partnerorganizations,andofcialstoobtain the necessary support and permissions to conduct the study.

Second,keymembersoftheteamconductedatwo-weekeld

research visit, including a qualitative assessment of the structuraland organizational conditions in the Ciudad Jurez Municipal Police

Department. The research team used on-site participant observation,in-depth individual and group interviews, focus groups, classroomexercises, review of organizational records, archival research, and

analysis of available data on public safety in Ciudad Jurez. Thisapproach offered insights into three priority areas for local police,

namely organizational and operational dynamics; intelligence andcounterintelligence initiatives; and the psychology, health and working

environmentoflocalofcers.

Third, in line with the approach used in other studies of the Justi-

ciabarmetro initiative based on surveys, the quantitative aspect of

17

Responses to the Justiciabarmetro Survey by Municipal District

Ciudad Jurez Justiciabarmetro

this study relied on a questionnaire with over one hundred questionsthat was administered to all available personnel in the eight dis-

tricts that make up the citys municipal police department: Aldama,Babcora, Benito Jurez, CERESO, Chihuahua, Cuauhtmoc, C.Especiales, and Delicias. The survey instrument was developed by

the participating researchers, and administered over a period of twoweeksduringthemonthofJune2010byateamofprofessional

pollsters at Data, Opinin Pblica y Mercados (DATA-OPM), withthe cooperation of the municipal government and the department

of public safety.

Thestudyachievedaresponserateof 2,381peopleoutofatotal

forceestimatedat3,146ofcers.Thatis,75%of thetotalmunicipalpoliceofcersof thedepartmenttookthesurvey,providingamar-

ginof errorof +/-2%.Undoubtedly,theresultsprovideastrongempirical basis to begin to understand the perceptions, priorities and

views of these important public servants in Ciudad Jurez. In addi-tiontoprovidinginsightsintotheproles,knowledge,andexpertiseof theseofcers,thesurveyallowedtheresearchteamtolearnmore

about their working conditions, departmental procedures, and theirviews on crime and society.

District Population Showing(Numberof

interviewsanswered)

Percentage

Aldama 380 245 64.5

Babcora 674 557 82.6

BenitoJurez 367 240 65.4

CERESO 346 329 95.1

Chihuahua 269 187 69.5

Cuahtmoc 300 168 56.0

C.Especiales 347 313 90.2

Delicias 463 342 73.9


18/5218Justiciabarmetro

Socio-Demographic Prole of the Police

Results of the Study

Thesurveyfocusedpartlyonthedemographicproleof

respondents in order to gain a better understanding of thecompositionof themunicipalpolicedepartment.Of2,381

respondents, participants averaged 33 years of age the majority

(60%)between30-49yearsoldandwereoverwhelminglymale(75%).Thesurveyresultsconrmedthatmost(54%)werebornin

the state of Chihuahua, with 47% born in Ciudad Jurez, contra-dicting earlier reports by authorities that the police force had been

largely re-stocked with agents from outside the local area.

Intermsof familylife,theoverwhelmingmajority(86%)ofre-

spondents reported having 1 to 3 children. 47% indicated that theyweremarried,22%livedwithasignicantother,20%wereunmar-

ried, and 9% were divorced or had other circumstances. In termsof theireconomicsituation,theoverwhelmingmajority(90%)

stated that their income is the main source of family income, andin the majority of cases it is the only one. This a very importantconsideration,sinceonly6%statedtheyearnmorethan10,000pe-

sos(roughlyUSD$800)amonthandaconsiderableportion(35%)reportedreceivedasalaryoflessthan8,000pesos(roughlyUSD

$640)amonth.Only42%statedtheyowntheirhome.

Ciudad Jurez

(percentage)


19/5219 JusticiabarmetroCiudad Jurez

(percentage) (percentage)


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reectthetrendamongMexicanmunicipalpoliceofcersingen-

eral, and not just in Ciudad Jurez. One key difference for CiudadJurez is the recent restructurings, which could have been used as

an opportunity for the police department to shed the problemsthat have dragged the force down, take advantage of the vibrant

energy and enthusiasm of young, new recruits, and push forwarda new mission and vision that is focused more on the citizenry andthe protection of citizens rights. However, with only 34% of the

forceyoungerthan29yearsold,itisclearthattherenovationof the police did not actually constitute a rejuvenation of the police

force in Ciudad Jurez. Thus, the prospects of dramatic improve-ments in the near future are perhaps not as bright as they could

have been.

Professional Prole of the Police


Examiningtheprofessionalproleof municipalpoliceofcersinCiudadJurez,thesurveyfoundthat,astothe

educational background of the force, 47% indicated a mid-dleschooleducation,30%saidtheyhavecompletedhighschool,

but only 14% have college or post graduate degrees. Meanwhile,althoughCiudadJurezliesalongtheU.S.border,only12%of the

respondents indicated that they know another language (less than280of the2,381agentswhoansweredthequestionspokeEnglish).

Of those surveyed, only 13% said they had some form of militarytraining.Inthevastmajorityofcases(80%),thepoliceofcershad

a previous job before their current position, which suggests thatbeing a policeman or woman was an alternative career path and not

theirrstpriority.Thesurveyresultsalsoillustratethechangesofthe Jurez police forces composition as a result of recent restruc-

turings. In quantitative terms, the shift is made clear by the fact thatalmost80%havelessthanveyearsofexperienceinthedepart-ment.

The picture that emerges from these and earlier noted demographic

data is one of an older, poorly educated, relatively inexperienced,and professionally underdeveloped police force, in comparison to

international standards. It is important to mention that these results

Ciudad JurezJusticiabarmetro


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Working Conditions

The distribution of the police force in Ciudad Jurez, in rela-tiontothosesurveyed,isasfollows:88%reportedwork-

ing as operative personnel (as opposed to administrativepersonnel).63%ofrespondantsareactuallyeldagents,thelowest

rankingofcers.Ingeneral,only21%indicatedthattheyhaveapermanentposition,asopposedtothe76%thatworkontempo-

rarycontracts.Thislackofstableemploymentforpoliceofcersisparticularly alarming due to the dangerous nature of policework inCiudad Jurez. When police are not ensured a permanent position

and a clear career trajectory, they have little motivation to demon-strate a commitment to the job or to the citizens that ultimately

employ them.

In terms of the distribution of the workload, the survey resultsshowed some differences in the number of days and the lengthof shiftsthatpolicework,with76%workingsixdaysaweek,9%

workingvedaysaweek,8%workingsevendaysaweek,andtherestworkingfourdaysorless.50%hadmixedshifts,30%hada


shiftof 8x12(8hoursof workfor12hoursofrest),9%worked12x24,6%worked12x12,2%worked24x48,and1%worked

24x24.Morethanhalfof thosesurveyedreportedthattheydidnot have a break during their shifts, while the 31% who indicated

that they did typically had less than half of an hour of break timeduring their shift.

Despite long hours without breaks, at least half of the respon-dents(52%)feltthattheircurrentworkloadisadequate.Survey

results suggested that the bulk of that workload includes patrol-ling the city, with relatively little time focused on administrative

matters. Most also demonstrated a high degree of satisfactionwiththeirchosenprofession,since82%ofrespondantsindicated

thattheywouldwanttobeapoliceofcerif theyhadtochooseagain.




24/5224Justiciabarmetro Ciudad Jurez

(percentage)

(percentage)

(percentage)




Average response


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Respondents were fairly divided over whether or not the

departments hiring procedures were adequate, withaboutaquarter(24%)stronglyinagreementandanequal

number(24%)stronglyindisagreement.Fieldinterviewsandother

survey questions suggest that indications of disapproval of the hir-

ing process were closely related to frustration with the departmen-

tal purge at the outset of the Reyes administration.

Meanwhile,respondentswerealsosignicantlydissatisedwith

opportunities for advancement on the force. Overall, nearly half

disagreed on some level as to whether the processes to determine

raisesandpromotionsarefair(52%)andclear(49%).Nearlyhalf

(48%)disagreedwiththeideathatsuchdecisionswerebasedonindividualmerit,and30%stronglydisagreed.Amajority(57%)felt

at least to some degree that an individuals connections were what

primarilydeterminedpromotions,and28%stronglyagreedwith

this view.

These responses present a fairly severe condemnation of existing

practices for promotion within the department, but also illustrate

what is a common problem among municipal police departments

in Mexico: the lack of adequate professional criteria or systems of

review for career advancement and basic civil service protections

forpublicservantsworkingintheeldof lawenforcement.Inthelong term, the development of professional standards for evalu-

ation and advancement is a measure on which the Ciudad Jurez

policedepartmentmustmakesignicantimprovement.

Respondents also had an unfavorable opinion regarding the de-

partmentsdisciplinarysanctions;whilethelargestportion(28%)

responded that disciplinary actions were fair, a sizeable number

(22%)stronglydisagreed.In other areas, the vast majority of the

respondents agreed that the assignment of workshifts and the as-

signmentof patrolzonesisfair,and48%and36%stronglyagreed

with these sentiments, respectively. The survey also found relativelyhighlevelsofcondence,ortrust,withinthepolicedepartment.

However,whilemorethantwothirds(65%)indicatedthatthey

haveatleastsomedegreeofcondenceintheirfellowofcers,

nearlyathirddisagreedand12%stronglydisagreed.Roughlysimi-

larproportionsindicatedeithercondenceorlackofcondence

in their superiors, though here respondents expressed more intense

feelings in both strong agreement and strong disagreement

when asked about their bosses.

Working Environment, Treatment, and Interpersonal Relations



(percentage)

(percentage)

(percentage)


27/52

Note:Someguresinthegraphsdonotaddupto100%duetoroundingandbecausethegraphdoesnotincludetheNoResponsecategory.

Justiciabarmetro27Ciudad Jurez

(percentage)

(percentage)

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28/52

Equipment and Uniforms

The survey revealed that the Ciudad Jurez police depart-ment is poorly equipped and has never had adequate equip-

ment, such as patrol cars, arms, ammunition, vests, anduniforms. One of the most important things for any employee is

tohavethenecessaryequipmenttofulllonesduties.Intheeldof law enforcement, it is not only necessary to protect the publicbutalsovitalforthesafetyoftheindividualofcer.Inthisrespect,

thefactthathalfof themunicipalpolice(54%)inCiudadJurezfeel they that they are ill equipped to do their job that is, do not

have the equipment that they need raises real concerns about the

ofcers.

Indeed,ofcersindicatedinresponsetoaseparatequestionthat,in general, the quality of the departments equipment is poor

(33%) or very poor (17%). Fewer numbers of respondents felt thatcertainspecictypesofequipmentwereinsuboptimalcondition,

suchasbatons(15%),radios(11%),handcuffs(28%),andutilitybelts(28%).However,intheparticularcaseof patrolvehicles,35%

said that the condition of theseunitsiseitherbad(35%)orverybad (34%). Given the centrality placed on police patrolling in thedepartment (an issue that we consider elsewhere in this report),


the poor functioning of police vehicles seems to be a problem thatrequires the department to invest in greater maintenance or an

updatingof itseet.

Withregardtopoliceuniforms,35%ofrespondentsdidnotconsider these to be adequate. In fact, 33% reported that theiruniformstpoorly(i.e.,werenottherightsize)and more than

half indicated that they were not issued the standard uniformrequired for the job by the department. Overall, the majority of

those surveyed said that the police department supplied their basic

equipment and accessories, or that they were reimbursed for them.Still,30%saidtheyhadtobuytheiruniformsthemselveswithoutbeing reimbursed. Also, one important exception was the case ofwork boots, since the majority of respondents said that they had to

buy these without being reimbursed.

Theissueof uniformsisarecurringproblemforofcersatthemunicipal level, and raises public safety concerns because the

widespread practice of individuals purchasing their own uniformsreduces departmental control over proper use of police attire andmay allow some uniforms to fall into the hands of criminals who

canthenusethemtoimpersonatepoliceofcers.




(percentage)

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30/52

Afundamentalissueintheeldofpublicsafetyisthespecialized training of the police; that is, providing the

necessaryskillseverypoliceofcershouldhavetointeractfrequently with the public and to protect the rights of both crime

victims and suspects. This training requires that police be educatedabout the legal framework in which they operate, the management

of both routine law enforcement matters and highly dangeroussituations, and the appropriate use of both lethal and non-lethalforce.

Ingeneralterms,CiudadJurezpoliceofcersrespondedcorrectlyto key questions about basic legal topics. The results of the surveyshowedthefollowing:86%of thosesurveyedknowthatmunicipal

policeofcersareonlyauthorizedtodetainapersonin agrante

(agrancy)thatis,intheactof commitingacrimeandnotat the request of an individual (7% made this error) or a superior

authority (3% made this error). Roughly 74% correctly respondedthat, in the case of an administrative infraction, authorities can de-

tainthesuspectforupto36hours;however,asignicantpercent-age(12%)incorrectlyindicatedthatthemaximumwas12hours,

5%said24hours,andtheremainderdidnotknow.Roughly80%responded correctly that a detainee should be immediately turned

Training, Technical Knowledge, and Due Process



over to the prosecutor; however, the remainder were not aware ofthis fact, which is a serious concern for the preservation of due

process within the criminal justice system.

Apoliceofcershouldhavethebasicknowledgeofthejudicialframework related to the performance of his or her duty, not only

(percentage)



in relation to citizens rights and detentions, butalso with regard to his or her own legal rights. In

fact, the department is required to provide suchtraining, which is a basic right that the policethemselveshave,as53%of respondentswere

aware.

Sincethe2008constitutionalreformsthatmarkedthe transition from the traditional, predominantly

inquisitorial system of criminal justice to a newaccusatorialsystemwithsignicantsafeguardstoensure due process and equal representation of

both the victim and the accused before the court,police will begin to play an increasingly important

part of criminal proceedings and investigations.However,thesurveyfoundthat23%ofrespon-

dentshaveneverreceivedspecictrainingontherole and responsibilities of municipal police intheaccusatorialsystem,although20%saidthat

they did.

With regard to the procedures for crime scene

preservation,29%saidthattheydidreceivetraining,but19%saytheydidnot.27%(majoritysegment) say they were never trained on gatheringevidenceatthecrimescene,while22%saidthat

theyweretrained.Asignicantnumberof of-cers strongly disagreed (31%) that there were ad-

equate training manuals to prepare them on thesetopics. In short, while it appears that perhaps

therehavebeeneffortstotrainofcers,thesehave not been widespread enough or adequatelydesigned to reach all members of the force.

As to the subjective evaluations that police had

about their own respect for due process, thesurvey yielded a number of useful observations.

Forexample,ofcersoverwhelminglyexpressedthe view that they always respect institutionalnorms in conducting their daily work, but over a

thirdof therespondents(35%)indicatedthatitwas not always possible to do so.

While only 3% indicated that they allow them-

selves to violate institutional norms, that still sug-geststhatthereareover70badcopswhowere

willing to express their disregard for the depart-ments rules and regulations in the survey. Also,whilemostofcersindicatedthatpolicetypically

applythelawequallytoall,averysignicantper-centage(25%)disagreedwiththisview.Finally,

along these lines, it is important to note that asignicantportionof ofcers(32%)felttosome

degree that the police are more severe with thepoor,thoughoverhalf of theofcersdisagreedorstronglyagreed(40%)withthem.

(percentage)

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34/52

Salaries and Other Forms of Compensation


The survey asked several questions about compensation.Theoverwhelmingmajority(90%)of theofcersthat

responded to the survey indicated that their salary is themost important source of income for their family, and an evenlargerpercent(96%)saidtheyearnlessthan10,000pesos(about

$850USD)permonth.Threeinveofcers(59%)reportedanincomebetween8,000($640USD)and9,000pesos($720USD)

permonth.Anoverwhelmingmajority(90%)alsosaidtheywouldlike to see an increase in salary. A smaller majority, but still large

(70%),saidthattheywouldliketoseeanincreaseintheirsupervi-sorssalaries.Morethanathirdof thosesurveyed(35%)saidthey

wouldbesatisedwitha25%increaseintheirsalary,andthema-jority(86%)reportedthattheywouldbesatisedwithanincreaseof upto50%of theirsalary.

Apart from an increase in salaries, other priorities for those sur-

veyedconsistedofobtainingbenetsfortheirfamily,includingscholarshipsfortheirkids(63%),accesstobetterhospitals(59%),

andlifeinsurance(53%).Despiteconcernsaboutsalary,only9% of those surveyed indicated that they have other sources ofincomeasidefromtheirpolicework,andthemajority(76%)inside

thissmallgroupdidnotmakemorethan400pesosamonthfromtheir alternative source of income.




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Values, Corruption, and Trust Tests


In their responses to various questions, those surveyed

highlightedimportantproblemsofcondenceandintegrityamong municipal police. While the majority of those surveyed

(65%)considerthathonestyisthemostimportantvaluethatapoliceagentcanhave,lessthanhalf (40%)of thosesurveyed

considered that this value was present among their co-workers.Meanwhile,alargemajorityofthosesurveyed(78%)disagreedthat being involved in illicit activity is acceptable as long as nobody

is harmed.

When asked more directly to rate the problem of corruption inthedepartmentonascaleof 0(none)to4(high),alargemajor-ity(65%)consideredtheleveltobemedium(2)tohigh(4).

When asked where corruption resides within the department, amajority (73%) said that the corruption is found at the highest lev-

els(including29%thatsaidcorruptionwasaproblematalllevelsof theforce).Themajority(68%)doesnotfeelthatlowsalariescausecorruption,whichsuggeststhatofcersperceivetheretobe

systemicproblemsorotherinuencesthatcontributetocorrup-tion within the department. Those surveyed were more divided

about whether police were tolerant of corruption and whetherthere are adequate mechanisms to investigate it.



(percentage)




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38/52

Aspreviouslymentioned,only25%of thosesurveyedwerefemale.Themajority(82%oftheentirefemalepopula-tion)wereeldpersonnel,workedasofcers(66%),and

occupiedtheirpositionforlessthanoneyear(51%).Thewomenless frequently hold higher ranking positions, as evidenced by the

factthatonly5%ofthosesurveyedrespondedthattheirsupervi-sor or boss was a woman. Slightly fewer women (85%)than the

averageforthesurvey(90%)saidthattheirsalaryisthemainsource of income for their household, though this indicates thatthese winners are the primary income earners (breadwinners) in

their family.

Themajorityof allthosesurveyed(62%)indicatedthatwomenarevaluedequallytomen,although29%thoughtthatwomenare

less valued; views on this question differed markedly by gender,since53%ofwomenthoughttheywerenotvaluedequallytomen.However,70%of allthosesurveyedrecognizedthatefcient

mechanisms do not exist to deal with discriminatory treatmenttoward policewomen. In terms of internal discipline, 33% said

that disciplinary actions were not different for men and women,though more than one in four also strongly disagreed on this point.

Over a third (39%) also strongly disagreed that the departmentsequipment is adequate for the different needs of men and women.Moreover,61%of respondentsagreedonsomelevelwiththe

statement that they trust their male and female colleagues in the de-partment equally;asignicantpercentage(14%)stronglydisagreed.

In response to the question of whether there is continuing educa-

tion to guarantee equal opportunities for policemen and police-women, opinions were almost split with equal numbers stronglyagreeing(27%)andstronglydisagreeing(27%).Thispolarizationin

the responses suggests that perhaps there is a lack of institutional-ized policies to grant similar opportunities to both sexes. However,

closer inspection suggests that the answers may also be related tothe respondents time on the force.

Oneof thefundamentaltasksformunicipalpoliceofcersisto

attend to and solve cases of domestic and gender-related violence.Therefore,ofcersneedtohavethenecessary preparation andknowledge about how to respond effectively to these situations.

Accordingtothesurveyresponses,therstactionthatpolicetakein Jurez for cases involving violence against women is to channel

them directlytomedicalservices(48%),provideinformationandguidancetovictimsandfamilies(21%),andtrytoresolvethecon-

ictandleaveassoonaspossible(13%).Themajority(54%)saidthat they also refer women who suffer violence to the Center forAttention and Domestic Violence (Centro de Atencin y Violencia

Intrafamiliar, CAVI).

Theresultsof thestudyshowthat40%ofrespondentsbelievethattherightsofwomenareanurgenttopicand25%sayitisveryurgent,while30%saythatthisissueisnotveryurgent.However,

85%considerthatviolenceagainstwomenisanurgenttovery

urgent topic, while only 13% say that it is not. This suggests atleast some sensitivity to the problem of crime and violence againstwomen,whichhasbeenreceivedsignicantattentioninCiudad

Jurez in recent years.


Gender Perceptions and Treatment of Women





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ThemunicipalpoliceofCiudadJurezndthemselvesina

complex and hostile environment that is characterized, intherstplace,byanaveragehomiciderateof 7killingsper

day, which is attributed to the activities of organized crime groups,

accordingtodataprovidedbytheSSPMinMay2010;andinthesecond place, by the reporting of probable and real cases of domes-

tic and family violence, which saturates the CERI, according to datacompiledbyCERIfromApriltoMay2010.Giventherelationship

between domestic violence and gang-related youth violence, thesetwo contextual problems are probably closely linked, as violence athome begets violence in the streets.

Violence increased suddenly and dramatically in Ciudad Jurez in

2008,asthecitysoonbecamedescribedbyscholarsandjournalistsas a drug war zone, the homicide capital of the world, or simply

murdercity.In2009alone,withjustoveramillioninhabitants,CiudadJurezhadmorethan2,000homicides,with rate of deathbyrearmsof 128.3per100,000,comparedtothenationalaverage

of 8.8per100,000. Bylate-2010,CiudadJurezaloneaccountedfornearly a third of Mexicos drug-related violence, with a total number

of homicides(2,700),more homicides than the combined annualtotalsof thefollowingU.S.cities:NewYork(532),Chicago(435),

Philadelphia(304),LosAngeles(297),Washington,DC(131),and

Dade-MiamiCounty(84).

In fact, the U.S. city of El Paso, just on the other side of the border

fromCiudadJurez,hadjustfourhomicidesin2010,andwasproclaimed the most secure city in the United States. The key to the

history of these two cities is the lack of effective law enforcementsouth of the border; general social violence is, in this sense, an ulti-

mate expression of the institutional weakness of law enforcementin Ciudad Jurez, since few murders are investigated, most are notsolved, or many are not punished effectively.

A lack of interagency cooperation and a lack of prosecutorial

competence and commitment is partly to blame, according to lo-calofcials.Inaninterviewwithmembersoftheresearchteam,

the mayor of Ciudad Jurez during this study, Jos Reyes Ferriz,indicated that judicial system operators were struggling to adapt torecent criminal procedural reforms. In the meantime, state pros-

ecutorswereprocessingonly150outof 3,000peoplearrestedinagrante delicto,andonly50casesoutof 1,300arrestedforthetheft

of vehicles resulted in a sentence, all of which contributed to frus-tration among local police.


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In the view of local police, prosecutors tend to free thecriminals that are caught in the act, and encourage that even

those convicted for a crime are released quickly. This meansthat a convicted killer is often set free after little more thantwo years of time served in jail. Therefore, the Mayor

Reyesindentiedthejudicialprocessand,inparticular,thechoicesoftheStateAttorneyGeneralsOfceof Chihua-

hua as an obstacle to public security.

An example of this is the highly publicized case of RubMarisol Ortz, in which her boyfriend and self-declaredkiller, Sergio Rafael Barraza Bocanegra, was absolved of

her murder. The appeals proceedings in the case madeevident the low level of professionalism on the part of the

prosecutors and judges involved. The case also attractednational and international attention because it resulted in

the murder of the victims mother in retaliation for hervery public efforts to protest the release of her daughtersconfessed murderer.

However, it also appears that municipal authorities and law

enforcementofcialsareoverwhelmed,under-equipped,

and lacking mechanisms to ensure sustained improvementsto the local police force. Over the past three years alone,the municipal public security force has suffered the lossof threetoppublicsecurityofcials,includingthehead

of police administration, the head of police operations,and the head of the local prison system (CERESO). The

survey results of this study also illustrated that violencedirectly affects the local police force on a personal level, as

well.24%ofwomenand35%ofmenonthelocalpoliceforce in Ciudad Jurez personally know someone who diedas a result of drug related violence (the younger and more

educated, the more likely they were connected to a victim).

These hard facts have an impact on subjective security andthe social perception of violence. In Ciudad Jurez, just over

80%of itspopulation18yearsandoverconsideredtheircity to be unsafe and 94% (the highest proportion nation-wide) did not dare to engage in certain activities for fear of

becoming the victim of a crime. Criminal impunity begetsfurther public insecurity, as it exacerbates social violence,

contributes to widespread societal fear, and adds distrust inlaw enforcement and criminal justice. One notable result has

been the exodus of the local population and the wholesaleabandonment of private homes, many of which are simply

left uninhabited and unoccupied. The city, in short, exhibits aclimate of violence and insecurity, anxiety and fear.

It is worth mentioning the role of mass media in reproducingthe stereotypes and feeding a collective perception based upon

symbolically constructed violence, fear, and hatred, which hasled to radical changes in habits and customs, as society retreats

from public spaces and withdraws to the intimacy of theirhomes. This withdrawal from society and the absence of com-munity spaces is noticeable by simply walking the streets, plazas,

and parks of Ciudad Jurez. Some commercial shopping centersprovide an exception, but many restaurants have suffered from

the effects of violence and extortion by organized crime.


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The survey results of this study show that violence directly af-fects municipal police in Ciudad Jurez on a personal level, since

32%of themunicipalpoliceinCiudadJurez24%ofwomenand35%of menpersonallyknowsomeonewhodiedasaresult of drug-related violence (the younger and more educated

the respondent, the more likely they were to have been connectedto such a victim).

tive results, that the process did not successfully purge the policeinstitutionofcorruptofcers,andthatthenewofcerswerenot

adequatelyselected.Ingeneral,therewasabalance(40%)betweenthose who disagreed and those who agreed that the hiring processofofcersisadequate.

Finally, as has been seen in many studies, responses suggest that po-

lice in Ciudad Jurez consider greater participation by the community(30%)tobethe most effective tool to combat insecurity, followed

bytheeradicationofcorruption(26%).Thisisanencouragingoutlook, in that it suggests that a shift to a more community-orientedmodelof policingwouldndsupportwithinthedepartmentand

if they are correct might provide an effective solution to thecitys public safety concerns. However, the persistence of corrup-

tion on the force could be an obstacle to both of these objectives,since citizens must have a police force that they can trust and the

overall security situation is exacerbated by corruption.


Policeofcersperspectivesinrelationtocrimeexhibitedsomeunique characteristics. First, municipal police in Ciudad Jurez

consider homicide (33%) to be the most frequent crime theyconfront,followedbyhomeburglaries(30%).Notsurprisingly,a

majority(52%)saidthatthemostworrisomeproblemforsocietyishomicide,withdrugtrafckinginadistantsecondplace(11%).

Incontrast,only2%ofpoliceconsiderthathomicideisacrime

that can be resolved easily by municipal police. In fact, 34% con-siderhomicidetobethecrimemostdifcultforlocalpoliceto

resolve,followedbydrugtrafcking(26%);nearlyathird(32%)of respondents believe that gangs are among the problems that

municipal police are most readily able to resolve.

Interestingly, when asked about the kinds of crimes in which amunicipalpoliceofcerwouldmostlikelybeinvolved,aboutaquarter(23%)indicateddrugtrafckingandasignicantnumber

preferrednottoanswerthequestion(17%).Therstresponsesuggests that corruption constitutes a major part of the reason

whysomanymunicipalpoliceofcersbelievethattheyarenotabletoeffectivelycombattheproblemofdrugtrafcking.The

latter response leaves room for speculation, of course, but mayindicatelesscondenceinansweringthequestion,whichwasgenerally not the case in most other parts of the survey.

Because the study took place during an internal restructuring

of the Ciudad Jurez police force, it is important to take intoaccount the opinions toward that process. The survey found that

morethanathirdoftheofcers(37%)reportedthattheinternalrestructuringandpuricationprocessconductedin2008and2009wasneitherrigorousnorequitable,andthattherecruitment

processlledthevacancieswithunreliablepeople.Asignicantpercentage(20%)consideredthattherehadnotbeenanyposi-

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Promedio:6.5



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The overall results of this study provide a strong empirical basisfor understanding the perceptions, priorities, and concerns ofthe public servants who are the most important actors in pro-vidingforthepublicsecurityofCiudadJurez.Thendingsof theJusticiabarmetro survey suggest that preventative municipal policeplay a vital role in the provision of public security in Ciudad Jurez,particularly with regard to theinterventionofcersinthecommunityas a means to prevent crime and violence.

As such, it is strategically important to support local governmentefforts to move police in the direction of a citizen-focused securityparadigm; that is, to advance a police model centered on serving citi-zens, respecting the law, protecting human rights, and ensuring trans-parency and accountability. That model of policing implies a needto clearly diagnose the grave institutional problems, the misalignedincentive structures, and the inadequate administration of humanresources that are prevalent inside local police forces in Mexico, asillustrated by the example of Ciudad Jurez.

SuchinstitutionalweaknessesmakeitdifcultforMexicanlawenforcement agencies to comply with their mandate, and frequentlyconvert the police into a social threat. By being underpaid, illequipped, poorly trained, and without civil service protections or aclear, merit-based career track, police cannot function at the high

level that society requires and demands. In this regard, given themagnitude of the external challenges and the internal institutionalweaknesses that they face, itwillbeexceedinglydifcultforMexicanpoliceofcerstosuccessfullyabidebythegreaterexpectationses-tablished by various reforms to the criminal justice system that havebeenintroducedsince2008.

Relatedly,policeagencieslackefcientinternalandexternalcontroland evaluation mechanisms, which are sorely needed to reduce thepervasive problems of corruption and abuse that characterize polic-ing at multiple levels throughout the criminal justice system, includ-inghigh-rankingofcialsandsupervisors.Moreover,astheresultsof this study indicate, many police themselves openly recognize andadmit the problem of involvement in criminal activities. In additiontoandperhapsmoresothanthepersonalawsof individualpoliceofcersandtheinternalinstitutionalcultureof anygivendepartment,thisreectsthesystemicweaknessesandlimitedinstitu-tional integrity of police agencies, many of which reside especially athighlevelsofcommand.Suchproblemsinturnmakeitdifcultforelectedgovernmentofcialsandthecommunitytohaveaneffectiveworking relationship with police, and hinders societys ability to holdpolice agencies accountable. This further exacerbates the lack of mu-tual trust between state and society that so gravely undermines publicsecurity in Ciudad Jurez.

The intention of this study has been to help identify the most sig-nicantinstitutionalchallengesof theprimarypublicsecurityagencyof Ciudad Jurez in order to provide lessons that are relevant bothlocally and in other parts of Mexico. As such, its objective is notmerely academic, but also seeks to provide critical insights on police

performance, policy recommendations, and (importantly) a base-line for evaluating local police as an instrument of public securityover the long term.

Some key policy recommendations that follow from this analysis

have to do with the need for authorities to reverse the prevail-ing negative working conditions faced by police, particularly theuncertainty and insecurity they face in their jobs and long termcareer advancement opportunities, which understandably contrib-utes to a general lack of professionalism. This is closely related tothe problems found in internal police procedures, which are toofrequently opaque rather than transparent and biased rather thanfair. The processes and mechanisms that allow and encouragepolice to develop professionally do not only reward good policework, but also help police to build careers with opportunitiesfor long-term professional growth in terms of their skill devel-opment, autonomous decision-making, and administrative andmanagerial capabilities.

Finally, police themselves agree that better communication isrequired to improve community relations. Comparative experi-ence suggests that opting for closer relations to the community isessential as a means to aid in the detection of situations that con-tribute to criminal activity, and thereby to act upon them whichis the essence of crime prevention. In this sense, to broaden,improve, and achieve more direct lines of communication withthe community, police agencies should endeavor to provide bet-ter public access to information, focus on developing effectivemodels of preventative policing, and develop stronger account-abilitymeasurestoensurethatpoliceofcersanswerdirectlytothe communities that they serve. Doing so will ensure that policewill be more focused on promoting public safety, social harmony,and problem solving to address the underlying conditions thatcontribute to criminal activity.

Final Observations

Conclusions and Recommendations


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Several general recommendations follow from the above notedobservations,andfromotherndingsgeneratedbytheJusticiabar-metro study. The following recommendations were presented toand discussed in greater detail with local government authorities inCiudad Jurez:

Police Professionalism and Integrity

Designapolicyof recruiting,selecting,training,andpromotingofcersthroughcompetitivepublicexams,withclearlinkstotherealdemandsof thecitizensandthatguaranteequalityandef-

ciency of service.Designcivilserviceprotectionstorecognizetherightsofthepo-lice and to ensure professional advancement, stability, and securityforcareerofcers.

Ensurethatrankings,raises,andpromotionsconformtostateand federal regulations.

Movetogradually,butsignicantly,improvewages,pensions,andbenetsalongwithprofessionalstandardsandexpectations.

Providedecentworkfacilitiesandmaterials,andappropriateandmodern equipment, starting with uniforms, weapons, protectivegear, and communications devices.

Designanddevelopspecicpoliciesandactionstoreduceandeliminate inequalities between women and men on the force.

Strengtheninternalaffairsinvestigationsforreportingandinvesti-gating cases of corruption, particularly at high levels.

Generateasystemof performanceindicatorsandpolicymea-sures to evaluate progress toward institutional goals.

Createstrong,safe,andanonymouswhistle-blowermechanismstoenablebothofcersandcitizenstoreportillegalactivitiesoc-curring within police agencies to be investigated and addressed byauthorities (e.g., city councils, human rights commissions, and stateauthorities).

Supportandinstitutionalizelocalcitycouncilsandcitizenscoun-cils to serve as advisory bodies to police agencies, and to provideopinions, ideas, suggestions and proposals that will help to improvepublic safety.

Themunicipalityof CiudadJurezshouldhandovertheadmin-istration of CERESO to the state government of Chihuahua, inaccordancewithArticle18oftheConstitution,andthusfreeupresources that could be reallocated to promote police reform andmodernization.

Addressing Problems of Crime and Violence

Developtrainingprogramstoprovideofcerswithmoreeffec-tive responses to the pervasive problem of domestic violence.

Integratepoliceoutreachandeducationprograms(e.g.,DARE)inneighborhoods with medium and high rates of youth violence anddrug use to maintain consistent contact with local schools.

Establishprograms(e.g.,YouthAlert)forfamiliesandat-riskyouth in order to identify signs and risk factors associated withviolence that may affect them, and to distinguish between the mythsand realities associated with drug use and delinquency.

Holdregularopenmeetingsbetweencommunitymembers,lawenforcement, judicial attorneys, and other public servants.

Workwiththemediatopromotegreaterinformationandaware-ness about issues of security and community relations, and topromote a culture of coexistence, prevention, peace and legality.

Identifytasksandcommitmentswithreasonablegoals,measure-ments, and timelines to be reported back to the community.

Provideregular,systematic,andtransparentinformationalreportto the city council, human rights commissions and the generalpublictohelpthembemoreefcientintheevaluationoftheJurezMunicipal Police.

Continuetoincreasethefemalerecruitmentrateinordertoim-prove gender sensitivity and community relations on the force.

Ultimately, whether justice sector reforms are successful dependslargely on how they are implemented, and by whom. This studyseeks to help policy makers identify the strengths and weaknesses

of the local police force in Ciudad Jurez, and to support theircontinued modernization and professional development. As notedearlier in the report, while the focus here is on Ciudad Jurez, thesendingsalsohaveconsiderablerelevancetolargernationalpolicydebates. There are systemic problems in Mexican policing that canbe found at all three levels of government.

What is urgently needed to correct this, as this study demonstrates,is to strengthen accountability mechanisms, build a professionalofcercorpsandpolicecivilservice,raiseeducationandtrainingstandards, improve incentives for high-quality policing, and ensurecontinuity of policy reforms across administrations. But above all, apoliceforcethatseekstoachievegreatereffectivenessandef-ciency, while also focusing on citizen security and co-existence withthe communities they serve, helps ensure respect for the rule of lawand democracy.

Bibliographic References:

AmnistaInternacional(2009):Mxico.NuevosInformesdeViolaciones de Derechos Humanos a Manos del Ejrcito, AmnistaInternacional, Reino Unido

Ballinas,Vctor,(2008):Chihuahua,primerlugarenabusosdemili-tares:CNDH,LaJornada,16dejulio.Disponibleenhttp://www.jornada.unam.mx/2008/07/16/index.php?section=politica&article=019n1pol

Dvila,Patricia(2011):TodosSomosJurez:delasprotestasalaspromesas,enRevistaProceso,Nmero1786,23deenero,Mxico

Hernndez,Pedro(2011):CiudadJurezreporta3milasesinatosen2010,enLaPlanaDigital,Domingo2deenero,http://laplana-digital.com/internacionales/eeuu/1057--ciudad-juarez-reporte-3-mil-100-asesinatos-en-el-2010-.html

Lpez,Milagros(2010):FelipeCaldernllegaaCiudadJurezpara luchar contra el crimen organizado, en La Voz de Galicia.es,Galicia,febrero10de2010.

Meyer,Maureen;Brewer,StephanieyCarlosCepeda(2010):Abusoy miedo en Ciudad Jurez. Un anlisis de violaciones a los derechoshumanos cometidas por militares en Mxico, Centro de Derechos

Humanos Miguel Agustn Pro Jurez, A.C./ WOLA, Mxico, Sep-tiembre

PoderCiudadano.com(2010):Eldesplieguede11,000soldadosypolicas no parece capaz de frenar la matanza diaria de inocentes enCiudadJurez,ElPas,21demarzode2010,http://www.encuen-tro29.com/impreso/cdJuarez.pdf

ReyesFerriz,Jos(2008):SeguridadPblica:RetosySoluciones,ponencia presentada en el V Foro Internacional Agenda desde loLocal,LenGuanajuato,29deOctubre.




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Comprehensive Assessment

of the Municipal Police of

Ciudad Jurez

Documents

Jb-cj Report Eng