Sinaloa's Ministry of Public Safety Says At Least 99…

Sinaloa's Ministry of Public Safety Says At Least 99 Police Officers Denied to Undergo a 'Trust Test'

Soldiers and policemen patrol the surroundings of the government palace in Culiacán, Sinaloa (Credit: Via Getty Images)

SEATTLE - Since September, turf wars between Sinaloa Cartel factions has triggered a wave of violence in northern Mexico that has resulted in 400 homicides reported in the state of Sinaloa alone over the past two months —a 400% increase compared to the same period last year.

In an attempt to control the damage being caused by criminal groups, the Mexican government has turned to the country's armed forces for help and deployed thousands of members of the Army, Navy and National Guard to states in northern Mexico, particularly to Sinaloa.

Military personnel has quickly replaced some sectors of the state's local law enforcement, as police officers have gained the reputation of working along with cartels to facilitate their illicit activities.

And according to Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, Sinaloa's minister of public safety, at least 99 police officers in Culiacán rejected the state's mandate to undergo what they call a "trust test," an assessment that verifies the integrity and reliability of an officer to guarantee they fulfill the necessary standards to conduct their role.

In a press conference, Mérida Sánchez said that these measures were part of two investigations that Sinaloa's ministry of public safety conducts each year to give officers a license that allows them to carry guns and carry out their responsibilities.

Although the assessment was already planned, the almost 400 deaths reported in the entity in the past two months prompted the state's officials to conduct a more intensive test through all its law enforcement ranks.

During a press conference, Mérida Sánchez said that, up until Nov. 14, at least 99 local officers abstained from being evaluated. He added that the precise number will be available at a later date, as many of the officers that desisted might change their minds and undergo an evaluation.

"The personnel that does not show up will have to be out indefinitely," Mérida Sánchez said.

While addressing members of the media, Sinaloa's minister of public safety said that 750 members of Culiacán's municipal police will be subjected to these type of assessments during the months of November and December.

To start, 300 municipal officers will undergo the tests at the National Guard's facilities in Mexico City next week. Three hundred more officers will be evaluated between Nov. 26-27 while the rest of the police force will take the so-called "trust assessment" between Dec. 2-3.

Mérida Sánchez added that the review of the 300 remaining officers will be in charge of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA).

Culiacán municipal police returns to work

Almost a month after being taken off the streets of Culiacán and having their guns confiscated, authorities reported that members of the municipal police force returned to work on Oct. 28.

In early October, Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya announced that the 1,000-member police force had to undergo an "exceptional" inspection of their permits and serial numbers, according to the Associated Press.

The Mexican army has a history of seizing local police weapons when they suspect officers are working with drug gangs or carrying unregistered firearms to avoid accountability. A similar weapon seizure occurred in Cuernavaca in 2018 to ensure "trustworthy security forces.

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