A training experience in Mexico City

A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting experience of training the Mexican Federal Police along with some managers from municipal and state police agencies in Mexico.  This was part of an on-going professional training program facilitated by the U.S. State Department.

My first impression was the face of the Federal Policia.  This is a relatively new police organization begun in 2008 and now is reaching somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand strong.  It grew out the previous policing efforts of the Army and Navy.  I was invited to accompany the participants in this class to several demonstrations of the breath of the agency.  We went to its main facility and training site in Mexico City.  This was a sprawling, heavily protected campus.  Their special operations units were similar to our best.  They showed us their ‘crisis room’ where they monitor raids on narcotic and organized crime operations.  They regularly use their Boeing 727 and two Apache helicopters in these operations. 

They were in the process of recruiting and training a new 5000-officer unit called “Gendarmerie.”  These will be organized into units of 200, taken to local ‘hotspots,’ housed in four trailers and supervised by only three supervisors.  The claimed mission is to provide protection for the local merchants who face extortion by local gangs.  It could also be another attempt of circumvent the problems faced by less professional local police.  I think it could also prove to be a headache for the Federal Police in potential misconduct by these officers away from home, in a strange community, and with minimal supervision.

Another part of the orientation tour was a journey to what they referred to as the “Bunker.”  It is the country’s war room for natural and manmade disasters.  This large complex also housed their state of the art forensics lab.  They are creating some new and interesting approaches to this arm of policing.

I was able to conduct three separate training programs for different groups of managers of local and Federal police agencies.  The topic was Sexual Misconduct.  It obviously has no borders.  The groups were very attentive and lively in discussions.  One thing I did notice was the formality of the classes with all in business clothing including coats and ties for all of the men.  The first class had 125 participants and there was real time translation.  The other two sessions at the “Bunker” were not real time translation.  It was interesting that several members of even the local agencies were able to help out my handler in translation.

One thing that was apparent was that their disciplinary system is much more legal than ours.  Most of the managers from the Federal Police were attorneys.  They didn’t seem to comprehend the concept of bifurcating misconduct between a criminal versus an administrative approach.  They seem to favor going the criminal track.  The section I did on Employee Involved Domestic Misconduct and Fraternization obviously were totally new to them.  Or, at least, they hadn’t thought to address the inherent agency problems posed by these employee issues.

I had one late afternoon and evening free and took advantage of the time to walk amongst the Mexico City crowds.  I walked down through the business section I was staying at into the old town and to the Cathedral and plaza.  The crowds were similar to those in our major cities…just spoke a different language.  Contrary to the concerns of my wife, I felt comfortable walking and being immersed in this new location.

I hope to be invited back to continue whatever help I can give to this neighboring country of ours.  I truly feel they are trying to overcome some of the historical problems Mexican policing has faced.