Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-16
MExICUS POLICE SERVICE
PERCENTAGE OF UNDETECTED
CRIMES NEARLY NEGLIGIBLE.
The Gendarmes Always in Sight.
Blows a Whistle Every Fifteen
Minutes at Night.
From the Mexican Herald.

From the Mexican Herald
1t is recognized fact that Mexico City
is one of the best policed cities in the
world.
statistics show that the percentage OF
undetected crimes is here almost negli-
gloie. Tor the men in charge of the local
iorce OF Sendarmes seem to understand
TO nicely the characteristics of the
Mexican criminal class
Inc gendarme is ever present In Mexico
CITY. He Is an inevitable part of the
landscape, as inseparable from II as the
oiS mats, sandals and carved church
ooors. Al night a look down any street
VIII show twinkling lanterns stretching
away In the distance. one on every street
intersection. Each lantern implies the
presence OF gendarme. who every If
teen minutes renders the night hideous
Win ms mournful and uncanny whistle
We're IL not for the efficient police SER
wee the expert rateros for which this
town also has been noted would render
me burden to residents and tourists:
nul IL Is rare indeed that the alert police
ioIce ooeS not apprehend the thief and
orlng about the recovery of all stolen
articles.
Strength Of the Force.
In order to attain this high degree OF
men attached to the police system of the
federal district These men are emnIoy.s
or the national government and come I'M
der the jurisdiction OF Vice President Ra
mon Corral, the minister of .goberna
| clon, or, as he would be STYLED in the
Cnited states, secretary of the interior.
subordinate TO Secretary Corral but
supreme otherwise in the federal district,
is Gov. Guillermo de Landa V Escandon
however. the police department is under
the direct supervision of the inspector
general, Brig. Gen. Felix Diaz.
mexico city is divided into eight "comi-
sarlas. each of which is presided over
| by "comisario.' whose duties are
equivalent to those of a police nudge in
the United States The comisario con-
signs prisoners to the general prison. bet
yer known as Belen. where they are
paced at the disposal of such courts as
possess Jurisdiction over their cases.
The police force consists of foot and
mounted gendarmes, firemen and secret
service men. There is a total of 1912
men In the foot gendarmerie. of whom
ninety-two are officers. The mounted
police number but 400. with an additional
| number of thirty-three officers The fire
service Is extremely small, there being
put seventy-two men and fourteen off,
GERS, while the number of detectives in
the secret service department is not
known.
Outlying Patrols.
Besides the $3.50 police in active serv-
ice in Mexico City there are $50 more who
patrol the neighboring towns and villages
| of the federal district
The total sum apportioned by the ma
tional budget for the policing of the fed
eral district during the fiscal year 1909
10 was 2,459.314 pesos. Allowing Mexico
CITY and Its suburbs a population of 4OO-
COO, the sum paid per capita for police
protection would amount to approximately
.l6. This seems eXorbitant, but results
| amply justify the expenditure
Baslng ones figures on the above men
| toned population of this city 1t is seen
that for every thousand inhabitants there
are 1856 gendarmes looking after the
| morals and behavior Of that thousand.
| These police, though not of a very high
standard Of education, are invariably
| courteous. and usually make a good i'm
preston on strangers In the city by their
efforts to answer their uninteligble ques-
tions asked in guide book Spanish.