Job Discussion Forums

[BadBeagleBad]

I am not a Pollyana, and I realize there are some serious problems with some police officers in Mexico. But I want to share an experience I had the other day with two police officers in Mexico City. We were there for a few days and my son and I decided to play tourist and go on the Turibus. We got on the South route at about 5:30 pm, with the understanding that it would return us to the same place in La Condesa (it is supposed to be about a 2 hour circuit) where we got on. Well, to make a long story stort, traffic was horrendous, and at 9 pm, when the Turibus stops running, it did just that. The driver stopped somewhere in Coyoacan and told everyone on the bus that we had to get off, that his work day ended at 9 pm. There were about 18 people, including several who didn´t speak Spanish, and a number of children. A few people only had a little money with them, and no one except myself and one other woman, knew anything at all about Mexico City. We all refused to get off the bus because we had all been told that we would be returned to the starting point, not abandoned in an unknown area. The driver was totally uninterested in what problems he might have caused to anyone, and refused to call his supervisor to even ask if he could return us to the starting point. At no point during the tour did the driver mention that he would just stop at 9pm, nor did he offer the option to cut the tour short and take us back to the starting point. After it became obvious that we were not going to get off, the driver decided to call the police. Once they arrived we explained what had happened, and the two officers were on our side from the very start. They tried everything they could think of to convince the driver to take us back to the starting point as outlined in the brochure. At one point a woman from some Scandinavian country had a bit of a nervous crisis and couldn´t stop crying. That had no effect at all on the driver. The police officer even pointed that out to the driver, but he would not budge. When it became obvious that we were all indeed, stranded, the police officers offered to call secure taxis for anyone who wanted them, or to walk anyone who wanted to go to the Metro to the Metro station. When the officer explained to one of the taxi driver what had happened he offered to take as many people as would fit into his taxi to La Condesa for 100 pesos (a very good deal from where we were, pretty far south and still loads of traffic). My son and I opted to go to the Metro, since the line in Coyoacan connects with the Metrobus that leaves us a block from our apartment, and one of the officers walked us over there, along with another couple of people, talked to the officer who was doing security at the Metro station, and he let us into the Metro for free. As he left, he apologized for not being able to help us. I should also mention that at one point one of the men on the Turibus got up in one of the officers´ face insisting that he DO something, and yet the officer remained calm. Maybe this was a fluke and we got the only two decent officers in Mexico City, but on this one occasion two regular patrol officers did everything they could to help people in need. With all the negative stories you hear about the police in Mexico, I would just like to keep it fair and balanced. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the ones who didn´t speak Spanish, to think they were just going to be abandoned in a strange town, after dark, with no money. The Turibus company has no comment and have not returned my call. And at this point I don´t expect them too. Glad to be back in Zacatecas where peace and calm reign (for now, anyway).

[johntpartee]

I heard lots of negative stuff about the DF police (one of my students said "The police here are useless"), but I needed an officer one time and the one I encountered on the street was very pleasant and helpful (despite my knock-kneed Spanish and his tenuous grasp of English).

Nice story, BBB.

[MotherF]

I'm sorry to hear that, my kids and I really enjoyed Touribus when we were there last February. (We took it late morning.)

I think Mexican police officers do fine in that kind of situation, especially if there are foreigners involved. It's crime scene investigation and standing up to organized crime and not taking kickbacks and bribes that they have problems with.

[BadBeagleBad]

[Prof.Gringo]