A Conversation with CLAS Director, Alberto Díaz-Cayeros: "Building Citizen Security and Police Trust in Mexico: A Vacuum in the Electoral Debate of 2018?"

Creating a democratic and transparent system of public security has proved to be an elusive goal for the past two Federal administrations in Mexico, and there is no evidence that in the heating electoral contest of 2018 any of the contenders has a proposal of how to establish better policing, effective at fighting organized crime, while respectful of basic human rights and due process. The challenge of police professionalization and citizen security in Mexico can be summarized by the following conundrum: as citizens demand public safety and protection from the threats of organized crime and drug trafficking organizations, police corporations may well become more professionalized, replacing the corrupt forces that exist today, but in the process police officers may become more prone to use excessive force. Citizens are not likely to trust violent over corrupt police, particularly when both may prove ineffective in ultimately providing for their personal safety.

Drawing from research undertaken at the Poverty | Violence | Governance Lab at Stanford University, the talk will discuss some of the determinants of citizen trust in the police in Mexico, and the embeddedness of criminal organizations in everyday life. In the context of the complex institutional architecture of federalism, it will explore some alternative strategies for police reform and citizen oversight regarding the use of violence by the state.

This event will take place at UCSD and will be shown via livestream at CLAS.Lunch will be provided