The Federal Police (Spanish: Policía Federal, PF), formerly known as the Policía Federal Preventiva (Federal Preventive Police) and sometimes referred to in the U.S. as "Federales",[2] was a Mexican national police force formed in 1999. In 2019 it was incorporated into the National Guard and operated under the authority of the Department of Security and Civil Protection.
The Federal Police was formed through the merger of four previously independent federal police agencies — the Federal Highway Police, the Fiscal Police, the Investigation and National Security Center, and the Mexican Army's 3rd Military Police Brigade — and was initially referred to as the Federal Preventive Police.
Throughout its 20-year existence, the Federal Police was dogged by allegations of widespread corruption and abuse — allegations which PresidentAndrés Manuel López Obrador said influenced his administration's decision to disband the force.[3] Since its disbandment, two high-ranking commanders have been arrested for offences they committed while leading the Federal Police.[3][4]
The police force was 1,870,406,000 pesos in debt to creditors, members of the public, and former employees when it was disbanded.[5]
History
Mexico City Federal Police Building.
On May 29, 2009, the Federal Preventive Police name was changed to Federal Police, and some duties were added to it. The Federal Police was created as the main Federal Preventive Police in 1999 by the initiative of PresidentErnesto Zedillo (1994–2000) to prevent and combat and to enforce the law that drugs will not run around on Mexico's streets. The PF has been assuming its authority in stages over time, as its budget has grown and it has combined and reorganized police departments from major agencies such as those for migration, treasury, and highways. Many large bus stations and airports in Mexico are assigned a PF detachment.
Public Safety Secretary Genaro García Luna hoped to reform the nation's long-troubled police. Among other steps, he consolidated several agencies into a Federal Police force of nearly 25,000.[6]
The Federal Police celebrates its anniversary on July 13 every year (Federal Police Day), with its history dating to 1928 as the successor of the agencies mentioned above.
Mexican Federal Preventive Police
Mexican Federal Preventive Police Policía Federal Preventiva de Mexico
The Mexican Federal Preventive Police was an agency created by the Mexican Highway Patrol in 1999. It was replaced by the Mexican Federal Police due to corruption problems and bribing issues. On May 30, 2009, the Mexican Federal Police took over the PFP's duties as the Federal Ministerial Police which also took over the Mexican Federal Investigative Agency's duties.
When Felipe Calderón took office as president in 2006, there were roughly half a dozen drug cartels in Mexico. Each of the organizations were large and dominated huge parts of Mexico's territorial landscape, and operated internationally and overseas as well.[7] When Calderón assumed the presidency, he realized that he could not rely on the federal police nor the intelligence agencies to restore order and crack down the logistics of the mafias.[7] Over several decades, the cartels had bribed police commanders and top politicians; and often riddled with corruption, state authorities would not only fail to cooperate with other authorities in distinct federal levels, but would actively protect the cartels and their leaders. With limited options available, Calderón turned to the Mexican Armed Forces, which, because of its limited involvement in acting against the cartels, remained relatively immune to corruption and organized crime infiltration.[7] He then moved the military to parts of Mexico most plagued by drug-violence to target, capture, and – if necessary – kill the leaders of the drug trafficking organizations. Yet, the president understood that the military could not fight the cartels alone and needed cops to rely on for patrolling, collecting intelligence information, and gathering evidences necessary to prosecute drug traffickers.[7]
With the argument that he was tired of the corruption, Calderón abolished the AFI agency created in May 2009 and created an entirely new police force.[7] The new force has formed part of Mexico's first national crime information system, which stores the fingerprints of everyone arrested in the country. They also have assumed the role of the Army in several parts of the country. According to The New York Times, the federal police has avoided "any serious incidents of corruption."[7]
On October 21, 2008, President Felipe Calderón proposed to break the former Federal Preventive Police to replace it with a different organization, because "the PFP has not yielded the expected results and has not been a strong institution capable of serving as a model for all police services in the country."[8][9] The new corporation became the Federal Police, and it provides support to the police as to the Federal District, states and municipalities. This decision was said to be not entirely unexpected, given the insufficient number of convictions, the alarming increase of violence, abductions and cases of corruption and complicity with organized crime elements.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
In 2012, it was reported that President Enrique Peña Nieto's government had proposed the creation of a new unit to replace all Federal Police duties.[16] The Federal Police would not be disbanded, but they would be assigned to special tasks and missions.[citation needed] Additional information on Mexico's planned gendarmerie was on the website MexiData.info on December 24, 2012.[17]
In 2014, the Federal Police's Gendarmerie Division was created with 5,000 police agents. Its focus is on providing ongoing public security in areas with heavy criminal activities and providing border security. It is also expected to reinforce state, city, and municipal police forces as needed. It is one of the seven constituent divisions of the Federal Police, reporting directly to the Commissioner, and the newest to be incepted.
The National Gendarmerie is defined as a military grade force within the Federal Police.
Before becoming President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador campaigned on a promise to take the military off the streets of Mexico.[18] Shortly after getting into office, Obrador released a plan to create the National Guard under control of the Mexican Armed Forces which would be in charge of "preventing and combating crime".[18][19] Obrador stated that the new National Guard would be critical to solving Mexico's ongoing security crisis.[20][21]
On 28 February, the Mexico's General Congress voted to approve a 60,000-member national guard.[21] On 30 June 2019, the National Guard was officially established in the Constitution of Mexico.[22]
The new National Guard, de facto successor to a similar formation raised in 1821 and abolished in 1935, is composed today of personnel from parts of both the National Gendarmerie and Federal Forces Divisions of the Federal Police.[23]
Strength
In 2000, the PF had 10,878 agents and staff:
4,899 from the Mexican army's 3rd Brigade of the Military Police (Tercera brigada de policía militar), included two military police battalions and an Assault Battalion.
4,000 from the Federal Highway Police (Policía Federal de Caminos)
1,500 from the Fiscal Police (Policía Fiscal Federal)
Regulation of the Law of the Federal Police in the Official Gazette of May 17, 2010, to establish the basic organizational structure of this Decentralized Administrative Body, Article 5 of that system, comprising a total of 136 seats of middle and senior management, broken 130 seats structure, as shown below:
1 General Commissioner;
7 Divisions: Intelligence Research, Regional Security; Scientific, Drug, Federal and Gendarmerie Forces;
1 General Secretariat;
1 Internal Affairs;
20 Coordination;
66 DGs;
6 DGs in aid to the Chief of the Division of Regional Security;
32 State Coordination at the regional level; and
1 Head of Internal Affairs.
Commissioner General
Generale Vargas Pitt Azian of Legal Affairs
Directorate General of Information
Directorate General of Social Communication
Directorate General of Planning and Coordination
Intelligence Division
Coordination of Technical Services
General Directorate of Technical Monitoring Center
Directorate General of the Center for Risk Alert and Response
Directorate General for Development and Operation of Coverage
Covert Operations Coordination
Directorate General Operations and Infiltration
Directorate General of Recruitment and Resource Management
Directorate General for Supervision and Surveillance
Coordination Analysis and International Liaison
Directorate General of Analysis and Statistics
Directorate General for International Police Affairs
Indicators DG Information Integration
Research Division
Research Coordination Office
Directorate General of Tactical Analysis
General Directorate of Criminal Records and Records
Directorate General for Crisis Management and Negotiation
Coordination of Field Research
DG Research of Crimes against the Security and Integrity of Persons
Directorate General for Research of Crimes High Impact
DG Research of Federal Crimes
Technical Research Coordination and Operation
Directorate General of Technical Operations
Directorate General of Operational Intelligence
Directorate General Tactical Support
Regional Security Division
DG Personnel
DG Information
Directorate General Operations
Department of Logistics and Training
Directorate General of Planning and Supervision
Directorate General of Operational Control
State Coordinators (32)
Regional Coordination Zones (5)
Central Regional Coordination Zone
Northeast Regional Coordination Zone
Northwest Regional Coordination Zone
West Regional Coordination Zone
Southeast Regional Coordination Zone
Scientific Division
For the Prevention of Electronic Crimes
Department Cyber Crimes Prevention
CERT-MX – Centre of Expertise in Technological Response (Centro Especializado en Respuesta Tecnológica)
DG Laboratories in Electronics and Forensic Investigation
Coordination of Technological Innovation
Directorate General for Emerging Information Technologies
Department of Infrastructure and Implementation of Technological Processes
Directorate General for Innovation and Development
Coordination of Criminology
Directorate General of Criminal Behavior
DG Laboratories
DG Specialties
Drug Division
Drug Research Coordination Office
Tactical Analysis Directorate General of Drug
Directorate General of Records and Registration of Drug Trafficking and Related Crimes
Liaison Department and Institutional Cooperation
Field Research Coordination and Technical Drug
Directorate General of Technical Operation Drug
Directorate General of Drug Intelligence Operations
Directorate General Tactical Support against Drug Trafficking and Related Crimes
Research Coordination Illicit Resources
Directorate General of Tactical Analysis of Crimes Financial System
Financial Intelligence Directorate for Prevention
Prevention Directorate General Operations Illicit Resources
Federal Forces Division
Coordination for Law and Order Restoration
Directorate General for Force Protection
Directorate General for Rescue Operations and Civil Support
Directorate General of Prison Transfers and Support
Coordination of Immediate Quick Reaction Forces
Directorate General of Physical Security
Directorate General for Quick Action Forces
Directorate General of the Canine Units
Coordination of Special Operations
Directorate General of Intervention
Directorate General of Explosives
Directorate General of Special Equipment
National Gendarmerie Division
See article: National Gendarmerie (Mexico)
Coordination Bureau of the National Gendarmerie
Directorate General of Planning and Logistics
Directorate General of Strategic Operations and Special Units of the Gendarmerie
Directorate General of Social Services and Public Affairs
General Secretary
Coordination of General Services
Directorate General of Human Resources
Directorate General of Financial Resources
Department of Material Resources
Air Operations Coordination
Directorate General Operations
Directorate General Maintenance
Directorate General for Aviation and Safety Supervision
Coordination Technical Support
Department of Information
Directorate General of Telecommunications
Directorate General of Technical Facilities and Maintenance
Police Coordination System Development
Control Directorate General Trust
Directorate General of Civil Service System and Disciplinary
Directorate-General for Education and Professionalization
Internal Affairs
Directorate General for Internal Oversight Monitoring and
Directorate General for Internal Investigation
Directorate General Accountability
Internal Control
Superior Academy of Public Security of the Federal Police
Directorate General;
Directorate-General for Administration;
Academic Board;
Preceptory address
Services Division
Divisions
Vehicles of the Policía Federal in a parade in Tepic
The Policía Federal consists of seven branches of service, known as divisions, administered by a central administration called the General Secretariat (Secretaría General)
[24][25]
Anti-drug Division – División Antidrogas
Scientific Division – División Científica
Federal Forces Division – División de Fuerzas Federales
Intelligence Division – División de Inteligencia
Investigation Division – División de Investigación
Regional Security Division – División de Seguridad Regional
National Gendarmerie Division – División de Gendarmería Nacional
There is also a separate Internal Affairs Unit (Unidad de Asuntos Internos).
2010 included the Policía Federal approx 35,000 civil servants on.[26] A Comisionado General (General Manager), which is used directly by the President of Mexico, heads with wide-ranging powers the institution.[27] Maribel Cervantes Guerrero broke off in February 2012 Facundo Rosas Rosas, who held this office since 2009 .[28]
The ranks from Commissioner to Commissioner General wear more complex rank insignia involving the seven-pointed star of the Federal Police badge above one to four five-pointed stars placed between two stripes.
The Mexican Federal Police has many vehicles; land, sea, and air, it is estimated to own more than 17,000 patrol cars. The exact information regarding transport vehicles and aircraft that comprise the fleet of the Federal Police is classified, to protect the life and efficiency of agents.[30]
Rotary wing and fixed wing pilot training takes place in the school of Naval Aviation located in Las Bajadas, Veracruz.[31]
^In a news conference after the Zacatecas prison break in May, spokesman Ricardo Nájera for the Mexican Attorney General stated that the name and acronym PFP (Policia Federal Preventiva) has not been used for a year and a half."YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
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