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FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3183
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 4183
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUPEUSA/HQ NORTHCOM
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 8675

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000438 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR SOCI PGOV ECON MX KCRM
SUBJECT: ELECTED OFFICIALS REACT TO PUBLIC PRESSURE FOR IMPROVED 
SECURITY 
 
REF: A) MEXICO 2682; B) MONTERREY 414 
 
MONTERREY 00000438  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.    (SBU)  Summary.  On August 30 a large demonstration took 
place in Monterrey (as did in Mexico City and dozens of other 
cities) designed to pressure state and local authorities to 
improve public security.  The citizens marched to demand better 
performance from the police and to encourage people to report 
crime.  In the wake of this protest march, the state and local 
authorities have responded with a variety of measures, including 
additional arrests, passage of a new security law, and holding a 
national anti-kidnapping conference.  Moreover, on September 17 
President Calderon helped inaugurate a new police command and 
control (C4) facility in the wealthy suburb of San Pedro. 
Although these initial steps are positive, poloff's 
conversations with ordinary citizens reveal continued widespread 
skepticism of the police.   End Summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.    (U)  On August 30 there were a series of citizens marches 
throughout Mexico to demand better public security, led by 
Mexico City, but including many other cities such as Monterrey 
(see reftel A).  Although there have been fewer drug related 
executions in the state of Nuevo Leon in 2008 than 2007, there 
is a climate of fear and impunity as even small businessmen 
worry about kidnapping and few people have any confidence in the 
local police (see reftel B).   The Monterrey citizens march was 
non-partisan, and included thousands of people who filled the 
plaza in front of the Governor's palace.  According to a poll of 
the marchers, 47% of them attended to force the authorities to 
improve security, 27% in solidarity with the victims, and 14% to 
say 'enough' to crime.   The demonstrators demanded that the 
Nuevo Leon Governor make security a priority (by working on it 
at least 3 hours per day), restructure and clean up the local 
police forces, and encourage people to report crimes.  The 
marchers demanded results within 60 days, and followed up with 
meetings with state and local authorities. 
 
 
 
¶3.   (SBU)  Subsequent to the march, Nuevo Leon state and 
municipal authorities scrambled to prove that they are taking 
the security situation seriously.  Public officials cited a 
number of actions, some new and some of already in the works, to 
comply with public demands.  Moreover, Nuevo Leon Secretary of 
Public Security Aldo Fasci acknowledged the seriousness of the 
problem, publicly admitted that half the municipal police forces 
had been infiltrated by narcotics traffickers. 
 
 
 
-- The police have arrested several criminal gangs, including a 
kidnapping gang led by an active AFI agent (just before the 
march), a kidnapping gang in the town of Allende, just south of 
Monterrey, and a group of burglars specializing in safe boxes. 
 
-- State officials announced an academic will evaluate state 
police forces.  (However, it was subsequently revealed that the 
academic was already employed as director of the state police 
academy.) 
 
--  Arranging training for Aldo Fasci and Nuevo Leon Chief of 
Staff (and possible PRI candidate for Governor in 2009) in 
Colombia on developing intelligence for anti-kidnapping units. 
 
--  The state of Nuevo Leon hosted an  Attorneys General's 
Conference in Monterrey, including participation from Procurador 
General Medina Mora, the armed forces procurador, and the 
attorneys general from each Mexican state.   The goal of the 
conference was to lay the groundwork for the national attorney 
general's office to :  a) develop an anti-kidnapping unit in 
each Mexican state within three months, and b) allow these units 
to receive special training, higher salaries, and bonuses when 
they catch kidnapping gangs. 
 
-- After several months of partisan bickering, the Nuevo Leon 
legislature passed a new security law, which creates a new 
metropolitan police force 'metropol' with uniform standards and 
services and a citizens council to oversee the police.  The 
statute requires state police to have a high school education, 
and seeks to professionalize the police by creating one state 
police academy. 
 
 
 
¶4.    (U)  Meanwhile, on September 17 President Calderon, 
accompanied by federal Secretary for Public Security Genaro 
 
MONTERREY 00000438  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Garcia Luna, traveled to Nuevo Leon to open a new anti-crime 
command, control and communication network (C4) in San Pedro, a 
facility which is designed to permit better police coordination 
and facilitate catching criminals.  San Pedro has already 
installed 140 cameras on major streets,  plans to install 2,000 
cameras within six months, and  has added new police patrols. 
The state of Nuevo Leon has also been building its own C4 center 
(with the U.S. company Northrop as one of the contractors),  but 
 has experienced months of construction delays and the facility 
is not expected to open until 2009.   Speaking to the local 
business and social elite in his address at the San Pedro event, 
Calderon struck a strident tone, calling the establishment of 
greater security both his -- and the Mexican government's -- 
highest priority.   Coming on the heels of the September 15 
grenade attack in Morelia, Calderon challenged all levels of 
government to end ('punto final') impunity and bring both the 
traffickers and organized crime to justice. 
 
 
 
¶5.    (SBU)  Comment.  Most observers see the citizen march and 
the steps taken afterwards as positive signs.  One British 
diplomat here noted that the citizen marches in Dublin marked 
the beginning of the resolution of the crisis in Ireland. 
However, based on Poloff's conversations with businessmen and 
ordinary Mexicans alike, they have very little confidence in the 
police and people are skeptical that there will be real change. 
Indeed, gaining citizen involvement in the march was difficult. 
According to one of the leaders of the march, the organizers 
canvassed leaders of civil society and business associations but 
found they were scared to become involved.  It was the ordinary 
citizens who were afraid of kidnappings and insecurity that made 
the march work.  As for the San Pedro C-4 center, one prominent 
industrial leader noted to conoff that, notwithstanding the 
hi-tech cameras, the potential weakness of the system is the 
operator behind the screen -- i.e., would poorly-paid monitoring 
personnel alert their superiors to suspicious movements on just 
cover such activities up.  Civil society will need to continue 
to press the state and local authorities for there to be real 
improvements in public security.  Post will continue to follow 
the issue closely.  End Comment. 
WILLIAMSON