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Author: Subject: Corrupt cop in La Paz, again: Reported!
afterglowefx
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Posts: 10
Registered: 7-13-2009
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[*] posted on 8-5-2009 at 09:48 PM


I'm not sure about being called a 'hero,' but it certainly felt good to go down and turn him in. It was annoying having to constantly worry about whether or not he'd harass us for a 'crime' that AT LEAST 90% of Mexicans commit all over Baja. The first time was funny, the second was just over the top. Seeing him with other Americans pulled over for nothing but being American was what pushed us to make the complaint and hopefully stop the behavior.

I don't know about you guys but it bothers me when people talk so much crap about Mexico in the US; I didn't want to have to tell the story of getting harassed by a Mexican police officer and concede that 'Yeah, corruption really is bad down there.' Instead I can talk about how the police at the station took the complaint very seriously and that most police in Mexico ARE honest and do care about putting a stop to corruption.

I don't know if he was actually punished; however, it seemed to my girlfriend and I that real measures would be taken. If anything he got his wrist slapped and will think twice about pulling people over just for bribes. If that's all that we achieved I'm happy for it.

As a side note, I do recommend going down and reporting. It only took us about an hour total and most of that was due to our horrible Spanish.

As to politeness and the Mexican system of traffic enforcement, I agree completely. A smile and a polite attitude will take you much further in Mexico than in the US - especially with the police. We were never disrespectful to the officer in question; at the station we merely stated the facts and let the commandant interpret those facts as he liked.

The best part about driving in Mexico is how much more fluid it is than in the US. Traffic enforcement is there not to bust you for silly things like rolling through a stop sign or going 10 mph over the speed limit (or etc), but to stop people for acting like idiots and causing real danger to themselves or others.

Sorry this is long - net access has proven elusive for us so I'm trying to reply to everybody at once. (We're actually on the mainland now; we took the ferry from La Paz and are making our way south toward Oaxaca/Chiapas.)
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