After the murder of the highway police officers Libna and Gisela, in the municipality of The Jumpin Jaliscowho, according to state authorities, were not wearing bulletproof vests at the time of the attack, were acquired 2,066 ballistic vests for the municipal security forces as an institutional response to the aggression against its members.
Delivery of half of these vests is scheduled for next week, while the rest will arrive in the second week of December, with the aim of covering all demand and guaranteeing that each element has its own vest.
The strategic security coordinator, Roberto Alarcón Estradastressed that the lack of vests was not the decisive factor in the double homicide, although he admitted that the lack of this equipment is “evident.” Alarcón Estrada explained that supervision over the use of vests will be reinforced, since, sometimes, agents choose not to use them due to the discomfort and weight they represent, especially for those who must get on and off patrol vehicles frequently.
“Well, the absence or lack of a vest was not decisive for the homicide of the companions. They are really missing, it is obvious. What we will have to supervise is that they use them, because then what happens is that those who have not put on a vest with plates, do not also know how complicated it is to get on and off the patrol cars every five minutes with those vests, they are very heavy,” said Alarcón Estrada.
The official explained that police tactics require the use of vests for both road and preventive police, although he acknowledged that some elements do not wear them or do so without the corresponding plates. At the request of the road commissioner, Jorge Alberto Arizpepromised to deliver the vests and verify their effective use.
For his part, the secretary of security, Juan Pablo Hernandez Gonzalezspecified that the process of purchasing the vests began in March, after the allocation of state and federal funds. Hernández González clarified that “it is not that they do not all have vests, there are vests, rather it would be necessary to see if there were no failures in supervision when checking that the elements come out with what they need to work,” he declared.
At the beginning of the administration, a review of the available equipment was carried out and it was guaranteed that the tactical operations police and the regional police, especially those who patrol risk areas such as Altos Nortethey will have the necessary equipment.
In the case of the road police, adjustments were implemented so that officers who operate on motorcycles or trucks have a vest, since they are responsible for “provisional preventive controls.” For those who perform duties on foot or in cruise ships, the weight of the vest presents a challenge, although the goal is for all officers to use it. Hernández González acknowledged that “there are not enough vests at this time for everyone individually,” but explained that they can be shared by changing the lining for hygiene reasons, since the plates maintain their functionality. With the purchase of the new vests, the aim is to cover 100% of the need and for each police officer to have their own equipment.
The security secretary also reported that the vests purchased have a useful life of between five and seven years, which, although it implies a higher initial cost, will allow recurring expenses to be avoided. In addition, supervision will be increased to ensure that personnel on the street have the necessary safety equipment. This process is complemented by the purchase of about 500 handguns during the year, with the objective that each police officer has weapons and individualized protection.
In parallel to the logistical response, the authorities of Jalisco They maintain several lines of investigation open to clarify the murder of the two highway agents, which occurred the previous Tuesday. The state prosecutor, Salvador González de los Santosassured that “all lines of investigation” are being explored.
One of the initial hypotheses points to the activity that the agents carried out when stopping a vehicle, presumably for an infraction. González de los Santos clarified that one of the aspects considers the possible relationship of the crime with a criminal group dedicated to the extortion of transporters in The Jumpan organization of which seven members were recently arrested.
“We cannot rule out that possibility,” said the prosecutor. He added that the way in which the attack was perpetrated opens up other possibilities and that no line of investigation has been ruled out.
The prosecutor explained that, at first, the relationship with the criminal group was ruled out due to lack of elements, but reiterated that “it is being investigated, we cannot rule out that line of investigation.”
He explained that “intense and important work is being carried out to try to locate those likely responsible,” which includes conducting several interviews and reviewing a large number of videos. The main objective, according to González de los Santos, is “to locate those responsible, whether it was the line or the cause that generated it and involved the loss of the lives of these people.”
Regarding the possible connection of the aggressors with some criminal group, The prosecutor indicated that the activities of certain criminal groups in the area are being particularly investigated and verifying whether they could be related to the event.
