police killing

Puerto Vallarta - April 6, 2015
This is a developing story - We will update as more details become available.

An attack on a police convoy in the town of San Sebastián del Oestem, just outside of Puerto Vallarta, killed 15 state police officers and wounded five, marking the deadliest single attack on police in Mexico in recent memory.

The Monday ambush in a rural area of Jalisco left police vehicles burned and riddled with bullet holes. It was the largest death toll in a single attack on law enforcement since 12 federal police officers were killed in neighboring state of Michoacan in 2010.

The Jalisco state prosecutors’ office said several officers had been hit in the shootout late Monday in a rural area as the police convoy traveled between the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, the state capital.

On March 19, gunmen in Jalisco ambushed a federal police convoy, killing five officers. On March 30, gunmen ambushed and tried to kill the state security commissioner.

Jalisco is home to a drug cartel known as “Jalisco New Generation,” which experts say is now among Mexico’s most powerful. Prosecutors would not say whether that gang was involved in the attack.
- See more at: http://www.vallartadaily.com/armed-gunmen-clash-and-block-roads-near-puerto-vallarta/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+VallartaDaily+%28Vallarta+Daily%29#sthash.XbtxDRi4.dpuf

This is discouraging information. I thought it was safe to drive to Puerto Vallarta.

It now seems that our little town is right in the middle of it.

Your post will probably get moved to crime reports.

Mexico News Daily, Borderland Beat and el Informador are also reporting on the story.

Can you imagine the reaction law enforcement in the US or other countries would have if 15 of their officers were killed in an ambush??

The municipal police chief of Zacoalco de Torrres, which borders on Jocotepec, was also ambushed and killed last night and authorities say that killing was, like the attack that killed the fifteen officers, in retaliation for the death of the sicario boss known as "El Gringo".

http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisco/2015/585397/6/confirman-asesinato-de-director-de-policia-de-zacoalco-de-torres.htm

Obviously, they are going to have to rethink travelling in convoys if they don't have the intelligence operations to know where an ambush might be set up, as it (the ambushes) appears to have become shooting ranges of concentrated targets.
Maybe someone in the police organization is supplying intelligence to the enemy what their movements are going to be.
A tragic loss of life event that needs new strategy and tactics.

The Police were on a move from PV to Guad. via the Mascota highway so the logistics of the CJNG having an auto planted in the middle of the road to torch and enough shooters to cause this kind of results would have taken some time in a remote area such as Soyatan, the village of 200 people, where it occurred.

What the aftermath of this (seems to be very little) tells me is that the Mexican government appears to have little regard for it's law enforcement officers. Many countries would be horrified, the military would be immediately dispatched and that entire area would be under martial law until these shit bags were routed and dealt with. It's time for Mexico to step up to the plate and deal with these guys with "extreme prejudice" similar to what Columbia did. There seems to be more of a response from the authorities when a gringo is killed. Am I wrong here?

CanuckBob wrote: Am I wrong here?

I don't think so.
You don't hear about many military convoys getting ambushed.
The cartel thugs think twice before messing with the Mexican Marines.

According to the newspapers there was a meeting the next day of various entities, such as the Attorney General, Military, PGR and others to address the situation. Haven't heard what the results of this meeting brought, in the way of action for the future.

i heard that the recommendation that came down is that the police stop dressing as students

It does seem strange that there hasn't been much response from anybody about these police shootings. Perhaps it is the Aztec ancestors that have influenced this society and death becomes not such a big deal.  Perhaps the government is so shocked that it doesn't know what to do about this yet.

I would like to be able to drive my car to some of the smaller Mexican towns but if there is a danger that my car will be commandeered and used as a flaming road block, I don't think I will feel safe driving the backroads.

Just came up the Mascota highway from PV to Chapala, about two weeks ago and had some friends from PV that visited San Sebastian just before that. They are in Chapala now and we all agreed that we would do the same things tomorrow if it was on our schedule. Maybe not follow too closely behind a police convoy.
For the ambushed police....our condolences and remembrances....descanse en paz
For the ambushers....a life/eternity in hell.

papa chango wrote:It does seem strange that there hasn't been much response from anybody about these police shootings. Perhaps it is the Aztec ancestors that have influenced this society and death becomes not such a big deal.  Perhaps the government is so shocked that it doesn't know what to do about this yet.

I would like to be able to drive my car to some of the smaller Mexican towns but if there is a danger that my car will be commandeered and used as a flaming road block, I don't think I will feel safe driving the backroads.

I would be happy to do some consulting with the Mexican government and offer them several solutions on how to deal with this. It won't be pretty though........

Too much money / fear / complacency for any changes to happen.

According to an analysis by InSight Crime, this attack may have some serious and unintended consequences for the CJNG.

Bloody Attack on Police in Mexico Raises Jalisco Cartel's Profile
http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/bloody-attack-police-mexico-raises-jalisco-cartel-profile

Last year I was in that area drivng on a trip to Puerto Vallarta with some Mexican friends. At that time one of my friends had warned me about the area being dangerous. I was talking with him yesterday and he reminded me of that and I said that I thought he was referring to winding mountain roads.  He said no I was referring to the "Mafia".

In the past, he has told me of other places much closer to lakeside that are " Mafia" areas.

We had to drive off the main road last year to drive around a dead body that was in the middle of the road and there were military guys running around with guns on the free road to Vallarta around Ameca.

slainte39 wrote:Obviously, they are going to have to rethink travelling in convoys if they don't have the intelligence operations to know where an ambush might be set up, as it (the ambushes) appears to have become shooting ranges of concentrated targets.
Maybe someone in the police organization is supplying intelligence to the enemy what their movements are going to be.

This is exactly what someone suggested to me with regard to what went down in Ocotlán a few weeks ago. In that instance, it had to do with one police organization alerting the "bad guys" about the approach of another police organization.

It doesn't get much more disturbing than that.

Smartalex wrote:According to an analysis by InSight Crime, this attack may have some serious and unintended consequences for the CJNG.

Bloody Attack on Police in Mexico Raises Jalisco Cartel's Profile
http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/bloody-attack-police-mexico-raises-jalisco-cartel-profile

"serious and unintended consequences"

Not only that but also public opinion as the road between Ameca and Mascota was crowded to the gills with thousands of pilgrims making the trek to visit Nuestra Senora del Rosario in Talpa de Allende over lent, especially during La Fiesta de San Jose.  On 7th of March, the road was almost impassable due to pilgrims and into the next two weeks when we travelled it again.
This slaughter of the police in Soyatan did not/will not win the hearts and minds of anyone who lives or knows that part of the world.
Rampant savages that will sooner (hopefully) or later be disposed of.