Marisol Valles Garcia is now the police chief of the violent town of Guadalupe Distrito Bravo within the Mexican state of Chihuahua. After all the town’s police officers had been either kidnapped or killed, Valles Garcia had been the only person who would take the position. The 20-year-old woman working on her criminology degree was sworn in Wednesday.
20 yr old female makes taking a stand to drug cartels important
Marisol Valles Garcia told CNN she gladly accepted when Mayor Jose Luis Guerrero offered her the job as police chief. In one of one of the most violent towns in Chihuahua, Valles Garcia envisions a non-violent role for her 13-member force, which is mostly female and doesn’t carry guns. She told CNN en Espanola her weapons could be principles and values. Valles Garcia said her goal is to set up crime prevention programs in neighborhoods and schools, achieve security in public places and encourage cooperation among neighbors to form watch committees.
Drug gangs battling one another
The Municipio of Guadalupe Distrito Bravo in northern Chihuahua along the TX border has seen heavy battling between the Sinaloa cartel and the La Linea gang for control of smuggling routes, according to MSNBC. Since the gang war begun in 2008, three Guadalupe Distrito Bravo officials were killed. Guadalupe residents say drug cartels take over the town at night. Armed with assault rifles, they ride through town in pickups and SUVs. The assistant mayor of nearby El Porvenir and the mayor of Guadalupe were killed shortly before Valles Garcia took office.
The difficulties with Mexican law enforcement
In Mexican towns, they are typically killed or scared away. If that does not take place, then usually they get fired or arrested for cooperating with the drug cartels. The Associated Press accounts that officials say low wages and inferior weaponry add to the problem. The primary roads are now patrolled by federal police and soldiers. Of course, they are all worried to hit Guadalupe, or towns like it, that the drug traffickers control.
Citations
CNN
cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/20/mexico.female.police.chief/index.html?npt=NP1
MSNBC
msnbc.msn.com/id/39760545/ns/world_news-americas/
Associated Press
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130704308
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