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Column 101011 Brewer

Monday, October 10, 2011 Is Mexico's Struggle against Violence Beyond its Ability or Will to Resolve? By Jerry Brewer The intense pressure on Mexico's policing initiatives by a frightened and embattled populace begs the question, "Must it continue to be a military enforcement priority?" The easy answer is yes when you look at the battlefield, the barbaric nature of violence inflicted, and the war-like armaments of what has become a transnational style of insurgency. When over 5,000 teachers in the resort city of Acapulco go into the streets to protest and demand that the government "provide protection," as they did recently, the Mexican government must accept this outrage and cry for humanity. The Mexican government's focus must clearly be on the protection of life and the safeguarding of their homeland's human rights - especially the right to live. Recent estimates that are slightly higher than government figures* report at least 47,000 deaths in Mexico since December 2006 (escalating to 10,022 known deaths in the first nine months of this year). A morbid correlation, statistically and graphically, lists a total of U.S. Vietnam war deaths, from 19641973, as 58,156. Is that relevant? What is preposterous is the reverse logic in those answers as to relevancy, given the voracious drug demand proponents that favor legalization and an end to prohibition, who clearly missed the paramilitary insurgent-like head-on attacks against

the Mexican police, government officials, and military in 2005. The message to those that missed it and remained in a fog, declared the intentions of this incredibly militarized army of organized assassins to challenge the rule of law in Mexico; to kill and rape with impunity; and to occupy strongholds by killing mayors, police chiefs, and other jurisdictional officials. With U.S. drug demand estimated at billions of dollars a year, the drug addiction rate is at the highest level of any time in history. Overdoses since 1980 have risen over 540 percent, and those taking illegal prescription drugs have risen incredibly to 500 percent since 1990. This hedonistic "right" like many believe, does in fact come with a huge bloody payoff. Policing Mexico today entails the day to day confrontation against lawlessness. Neighboring Central American nations in the northern triangle are setting world records in violence and death, as the fluid cross-border assassins' work violently to forcefully impose their power against governing authorities and retain additional safe strongholds. Much of this due to enhanced strategic and tactical enforcement methods, and the push by the Mexican Marines and U.S. support initiatives. While it is true that drug trafficking organizations continue to posture and fight each other for drug distribution territory and superiority, Mexican police continue to encounter mass migrant deaths and mass graves; a staggering number of deaths of women; as well as robbery, kidnapping, and related violent crimes. Much of the Merida Initiative will unlikely continue to have long term meaningful impact in restraining drug trade strategies. Policing Mexico will require the inherent ability of law enforcement to police the homeland and protect the life and property of its citizens, with less focus, as it has been for a while, on seizing drugs. Of course a military's role is, usually, to protect against an enemy, foreign or

domestic. At issue in policing in Mexico is function and jurisdiction. Of course this is a massive undertaking for them with a large federation of 31 states and a Federal District. Much of which has been confusing, and complicated by corruption, ineffectiveness, lack of competent training, and low wages. To be effective in confronting the ever-escalating violence and carnage, a more holistic strategy would need to emerge and be strategically deployed. A more ostensive approach would also assist in attempting to restore public confidence in Mexico's police, which is necessary for citizens to report crimes and partner as eyes and ears in the cities. Not an easy task due to the routine executions of those that inform in Mexico, including journalists. In September 2003, a Rudy Giuliani consulting firm provided then Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District, and today the mayor of the same Mexico City, Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubn, with a list of 146 policing recommendations. And police chief Ebrard said he would adopt them. Although miraculous results were not promised, those recommendations fell far short of fruition. Case in point is where all of this fatally plunged to and what ultimately resulted. Critical cultural aspects of policing are necessary in reforming police institutions, and in meeting human rights mandates and citizen expectations. The proposals were not a strategic plan, although organization, training, deployment, and oversight were proposed - however the plan failed to assess short and long range threat potentials. This was necessary for contingency planning in order to prepare for homeland threats and future need's assessments - hence, the military was needed at crisis time. * According to official figures, from Dec. 1, 2006 to Sep. 30, 2011 there have been 44,634 drug conflict

deaths. ---------Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global threat mitigation firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website is located at http://www.cjiausa.org/. TWITTER:

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