Pubdate: Fri, 08 Oct 2010 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2010 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/townhall/ci_14227323 Website: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829 PRESIDENT'S PLAN SHOULD BE EXPEDITED Mexican President Felipe Calderon has a new plan to help quell the violence wracking his country. A Los Angeles Times article noted that Calderon is sending a plan to Congress that would do away with local law-enforcement forces. This would be part of a larger overhaul of the nation's police system. While this sounds like a drastic measure -- and it is -- it does have some merit and should be tried. Calderon said on Wednesday, "Municipal police are the most vulnerable, the easiest to find, the easiest to co-opt, the most subject to intimidation and, of course, vengeance. It's necessary to change course." His plan is worth a try simply because of the violence that just continues and increases. The president's plan cuts a broad swath. There are approximately 2,000 local police departments. Many people consider them to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution. The duties of those officers would be taken over by the state, though some say that law-enforcement problems run through all levels of Mexican police forces. But it's worth a try. Calderon has already been the driving force behind a restructuring of police at the federal level. The results have been dramatic, with about 3,200 officers being fired since January after they failed drug screenings or because of other causes. Calderon's plan won't be simple to put into effect, partly because it requires an amendment to the Mexican Constitution and because mayors have come out against the plan. That's understandable, because the mayors control the police and their budgets. However, Mexican governors and even the opposition political party support the president. That's good, because 17 of the 31 state legislatures have to OK the amendment. Calderon's plan would be a positive companion measure to plans by the new governor of Chihuahua, Cesar Duarte, who wants to impose life sentences on people convicted of mass homicide, kidnapping and extortion. These plans should be pursued with determination, because they would be part of taking back the streets, a vital step in bringing violence to an end in Juarez and elsewhere in Mexico. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D