Article and map, direction to Ministerio Publico

http://chapalalaw.com/Oficinas_de_Gobierno_Chapala/Ministerio_Publico_Chapala.php

Office of the Ministerio Publico.
The office of the Ministerio Publico investigates crimes that have already happened. This is one large difference many foreigners do not understand as in the US the police not only prevent crimes but also investigate them and pass the information onto the prosecutor to prosecute those responsible for crimes.

In Mexico the role of the police is to prevent crimes, not to investigate them after they have already happened assuming the perpetrators have left the scene and there is no hot pursuit. Calling the police after a burglary might get them to come over and make sure no bad guys are hiding under your bed or in the closet but it will not start any investigation in order to prosecute the responsible party or parties.

In the Lake Chapala area the two most common reasons a foreigner will need to go to the Ministerio Publico is to report a break-in or theft or because they lost their immigration document.

While in theory no appointment is needed, you want to arrive prepared in order to not have to come back multiple times to finish your report.

Arriving prepared means having a translator if you are not fluent in Spanish and both you and your translator bringing 4 copies of your ID. If you are reporting theft of items you will need receipts, 2 witnesses and the make, model, serial numbers and any other identifying information.

Even if you prepare well, many times you will have to return. A report at the MP usually involves at least 2 trips, sometimes more depending on their workload and how prepared you arrive. If you can get it all done the first trip you'll still need to go back for an official copy of the report which usually takes a day or two. If there was a break in you will want to schedule a time for the investigator to see your property. Don't assume they have a fleet of vehicles waiting to take the person to go see your property, you will need to make an appointment and then go pick them up if you want this to happen. Feel free to buy them a coffee or something on the trip back to get in their good graces and make sure your file gets worked on.

If you are going to report loss or theft of documents then it is best to prepare the report on a flash memory drive before you go to ensure they will attend to you first knowing that you came prepared and will not be wasting their time. We can provide this service as this is the first step and a requirement of Immigration for replacing lost or stolen documents.