Local police suffer the most in Mexico's drug war: underpaid and outgunned

In almost five years of war against the drug cartels, 1,158 police officers have been killed in the line of duty in this country. According to Mexico's national public security agency, 44% of those have been municipal or community officers, 34% worked for state police departments and 22% were federal agents. The clear message, says the agency, is that local police have borne the brunt of the losses, because they are outgunned, under-trained and underpaid.

The average salary of municipal police officers is 4000-5000 pesos a month. That's about $300-$400 USD. In contrast, federal police may earn up to 30,000 pesos per month, well over $2,000 USD. Local police are on the front line, trying to prevent crime before it happens, notes one official: "Given their lack of resources, they're cannon fodder for organized crime." He said that criminal groups can easily recruit not only among severely underpaid officers, but in the general community as well.

Experts say that the fire power of the drug cartels and those who work for them enormously outstrips that of local police. Traffickers usually carry military issue automatic weapons, while local police are typically armed with handguns. Municipal patrol vehicles are often aged, and in some communities poorly maintained due to lack of money.

A centerpiece of president Felipe Calderón's offensive against the cartels, which began in December 2006, is heavy reliance upon federal troops, and to a lesser extent state police. He has been severely criticized for the strategy, and accused of militarizing the struggle against domestic crime. Calderón says that when local law enforcement departments have been weeded of corruption and can be trusted, more responsibility for fighting organized crime will be returned to them.