Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. PRIVATE SECURITY Ed PALUMBO ISSUES ANd TRENdS ON THE PRIvATE SIdE Of LAW ENfORCEMENT. Anything Could hAppen M T exico is a country with a historically flexible approach to the law, which in turn fosters an unpredictable social foundation where anything could happen, and often does. Recently, however, unpredictability has devolved into chaos — the security environment has deteriorated rapidly, with parts of the country experiencing incredible violence. Considering the increased use of military-grade weaponry, and the skyrocketing number of deaths reported in Mexico, the country is, in fact, in the middle of a war. Seasoned analysts estimate several major battles are waged daily, including one between cartels for control over lucrative smuggling corridors. Another battle is fought between At What Cost Success Who’s Responsibility? he third battleground does not get the same degree of media attention generated by running gun battles and grenade and RPG attacks. However, it is no less real, and probably more dangerous to civilians than the pitched battles between the cartels and the Mexican government. This third campaign is engulfing the Mexican population, led by criminals who may or may not be involved with the cartels. Unlike the other battles, where cartel members or government forces are the primary targets and civilians are only killed as collateral damage, on this battlefront civilians are squarely in the crosshairs, including tourism and business visitors. This raises serious concerns for employers sending people into Mexico who must worry not only about whether the corporate interests are best served, in a strict business sense, but their employees survive the trip. Over the last several years, in complex and compelling ways, rising risks at and south of the border insure any company with interests there will pay a premium for such business endeavors. The cost is not always in dollars or pesos, either. A French national, Christopher Augur, who was shot in the head as he was robbed near Mexico City airport on January 27th, died four days later. The 55 year-old French biotechnology researcher, who worked at a Mexican university, was attacked and robbed of $6,336 on a street near the airport. There are unconfirmed reports Augur resisted his attackers, which may have dramatically increased the likelihood of his being shot. The roll call of victims is not limited to business travelers. According to the U.S. State Department, more than 200 American citizens have been killed since 2004 in Mexico’s escalating wave of violence, amounting to the highest number of unnatural deaths in any foreign country outside military combat zones. n the case of individuals or groups of people traveling on vacation they are, for all intents and purposes, on their own. They have no security and are completely dependent on their own efforts to know risks and take personal actions to reduce them. There are plenty of warnings, though — according to the LA Times (March 4, 2009), the ATF has taken the unusual step of urging college students to avoid northern Mexico during spring break; discouraging travel to Tijuana and Rosarito Beach. Corporate employees are only slightly better equipped to maintain safe passage, and the relative degree of safety depends on who they work for and 22 ? various cartels and Mexican government forces striving to interdict the narcotics trade and curb violence. There’s credible evidence the government has enjoyed signal successes on this front, managing to spark power struggles within and among cartels, and the vast majority of Mexico’s murder victims are, themselves, involved in the drug trade — but not all of them. Photo: Joe noveLozo I The US offers travel advisories warning travelers of dangers in particular countries. It’s a simple way to warn your client’s personnel of potential dangers ahead. WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • JULY/AUGUST 2009