After a recent uptick in the number of police officers killed after their shifts, the city of Ciudad Juarez announced they will now house officers in hotels and other secure areas. Police will also be allowed to keep their weapons on them for added security.
Earlier this month, banners were hung around the city—which is known as the country’s murder capital—saying that a police officer would be killed every day until the police chief resigned. Authorities believe a drug cartel is behind the murders.
Though Police Chief Julian Leyzaola, who has held the position since last March, has been credited with helping reduce crime, he and his officers have also been accused of violations such as beating prisoners.
Last week, Leyzaola said: “We have to show them that they can’t put themselves above society or above the law. They are criminals and they must be segregated, segregated in a prison or kept in a cemetery, but they cannot go around intimidating people and holding society hostage.”
