SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — About two dozen officers who work for Baja California’s Citizens Security and Investigative Force are under investigation for crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping and bribery, according to Leopoldo Tizoc Aguilar Durán, the agency’s director.
“This present year we’ve started investigating 23 agents who have been implicated in crimes,” said Aguilar Durán. “It’s not just an administrative process, but a judicial review with reliable evidence.”
According to Aguilar Durán, the agency has about 1,000 agents.
“The ongoing investigation won’t deplete our ranks,” he said. “The majority of the agents are doing their jobs, but they can’t be overshadowed by the bad actions involving a few bad elements.”
Aguilar Durán discussed the ongoing investigations during a weekly state news conference in Mexicali, Baja California’s state capital.
“We’re always looking at our personnel from within,” he said. “When we detect bad actions by one of our officers, we have to act immediately, but from inside our organization, we will see if the officers need to be punished.”
Aguilar Durán stated they would act accordingly and with appropriate penalties.
Eighteen of the 23 officers under investigation have been suspended while five have received court shields to continue working.
“We’re not going to protect criminals,” Aguilar Durán said. “In Baja California, we’re not going to protect this type of conduct, there will be consequences once we wrap up our own investigations, which will be turned over to prosecutors.”
The force used to be called the Preventive State Police Department.
It was formed by the state senate in 2002 as a way to fight organized crime and drug trafficking.
But in 2019, after numerous complaints and allegations against members of the force, it changed its name as a way to improve its public image.
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