The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (MDPSCS) recently signed a cooperative agreement to train leaders of Mexico’s state-level Model Police Units (MPUs). The Mexican Government is committed to have MPUs in nearly all 31 Mexican states and the capital. An MPU is a 422 person vetted police task force specially trained to address the violence and escalating crime initiated by the drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico. With State Department Merida Initiative funding, the MDPSCS will work with Mexico’s Federal Police to develop training and materials. The initial engagement will include MPU leaders from priority states along our shared border that are facing the biggest threat from the cartels.

Through the Department of State, the MDPSCS already has a collaborative relationship with Mexico’s federal corrections authorities and provides training to corrections officials. In July, MDPSCS provided training in probation systems to 20 Mexican federal probation officers and supervisors. Additional trainings in probation, prison management, and emergency response are scheduled for 2012. The agreement allows the Bureau to further leverage this positive relationship to enhance state-level law enforcement capabilities, and further aid Mexico as its institutions evolve to perform effectively in a dynamic environment. This is the first of many planned training events and assistance that will benefit Mexican law enforcement at the state and local levels, and is one of a growing number of partnerships between the Department of State and U.S. state and local law enforcement institutions. By drawing on the experience, skills, and best practices of U.S. law enforcement at all levels, we hope to assist Mexico and other countries achieve greater security through the sustainable professionalization of their police forces.

For more information regarding INL’s law enforcement and corrections programs, contact:

Susan Pittman, Senior Press Advisor, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

Department of State at 202-647-2842 or PittmanSR@state.gov.