Anti-Corruption Initiative Tests the Reliability of Public Safety Institutions Sergio Ramos - Infosurhoy.com
go to original January 11, 2013

The Federal Police (PF) has been especially careful in applying reliability tests, given that only 22.1% of the population trusts the Federal Police, according to the 2012 National Survey on Victimization and the Perception of Public Safety. (Ministry of Public Safety)

MEXICO CITY – The Mexican government wants to end corruption by testing the reliability and honesty of those who work for public safety and legal institutions nationwide.

While these tests have been applied since the beginning of the last decade, the practice intensified during the administration of former Mexican President Felipe Calderón.

The tests consist of the following evaluations:

    A general medical evaluation, including blood tests, electrocardiograms and visual acuity exams;
    A drug test;
    A psychological evaluation to gauge personality traits, emotional stability, impulse control and judgment in extreme situations;
    An assessment of the agent’s social and financial situation, as well as a background check on an officer’s family;
    A polygraph test.

“The aim is to ensure the dignity of the police profession. It’s important and it should be a source of prestige,” said Javier Oliva Posada, a researcher from the School of Political and Social Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). “As citizens, we should feel safe every time we come into contact with a police officer because we will know we are dealing with someone who has been certified through these exams.”

Three different types of tests are administered – one for incoming officers, one for officers already on the force and one for officers being considered for promotion.

All three tests focus on an officer’s reliability, as the exams are tailored to the different stages of his or her career, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

Officers who fail any of the tests turn in their weapons and usually are assigned an administrative role while the Federal Council of Police Development reviews their case.

The case of the Federal Police

The Federal Police (PF) has been especially careful in applying the tests, given that only 22.1% of the population trusts the PF, according to the 2012 National Survey on Victimization and the Perception of Public Safety carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

That rate is much lower than that of the Navy (81.6%) and Army (79.6%).

Currently, the PF has 36,940 officers. Of that total, 23.8% have college degrees, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

“The PF has been involved in several highly controversial incidents that have tarnished and significantly undermined its public image,” Oliva Posada said.

Between 2006 and 2012, 137,758 tests were administered to Federal Police applicants, with 25% passing all exams, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

But of the 46,764 tests given to officers being considered for promotion, only 2,045 failed, according to the ministry.

Of those 2,045, 917 had committed a crime and were referred to the Federal Council of Police Development to initiate the dismissal process.

Of those 917 cases, 302 officers have been removed from their posts, while the cases of 615 Federal Police officers are pending.

By November 2012, the remaining 1,128 officers were still waiting for the Federal Council to receive their complete cases needed to start the judicial process.

“In the cases where members of the PF are connected to a crime, we are committed to referring their cases to the ministerial authorities,” Federal Police Commissioner Maribel Cervantes Moreno said.

Federal Police officers failed their exams primarily for the following reasons:

• Involvement in organized crime;
• Carrying prohibited weapons;
• Embezzlement;
• Using false documents;
• Unlawful arrest or the unnecessary use of force;
• Bribery or corruption.

Once a case has been brought against an officer who has not passed all of the tests, the officer has a right to an appeal hearing, where he or she can present evidence to counter charges.

“The clean-up process involves a series of steps that range from the reliability tests to the order of dismissal issued by the Federal Council of Police Development,” Cervantes Moreno said.

The government also is testing members of the Undersecretariat of the Federal Prison System, the Undersecretariat of Planning and Institutional Protection, the Undersecretariat of Prevention, the Undersecretariat of Information Technology, the Administrative Office, Prison Security, the Public Ministry, the Ministerial Federal Police, the Preventive Police, the General Directorate of Airport Services, as well as state and municipal police forces.

In the case of municipal and state police officers, only 31% of 430,189 officers have taken the tests at least once since the General Public Safety Act of 2009 took effect, according to Causa en Común, a civil association that promotes civic engagement.

While the tests are supposed to be applied every two years, no institution has consistently applied them in accordance with the amendment to the General Public Safety Act of 2009. The law mandates all police officers should have been certified by Jan. 3, 2013.

On Dec. 20, 2012, the Senate approved a 10-month extension for all of the departments to complete their testing required by law.

“We saw that deficiencies still exist with respect to these evaluations. There is a lack of polygraph specialists, infrastructure and material, which causes a delay in the evaluations,” said Eduardo Aguirre, deputy director of Causa en Común’s Control Centers Program.

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