The Federal Judicial Police (in Spanish, Policía Judicial Federal, the PJF) was the former federal police force of Mexico.
The jurisdiction of the Federal Judicial Police encompasses the entire nation and was divided into thirteen zones with fifty-two smaller detachment headquarters. Under the coordination of the local federal prosecutor, each zone was headed by a Second Commandant of the Federal Judicial Police, who in turn directs the group chiefs in the outlying detachments. Individuals arrested by the Federal Judicial Police were placed at the disposition of the local federal prosecutor, who appointed subordinate attorneys to assess each case.
One of the smaller law enforcement agencies in Mexico, the Federal Judicial Police tripled in size by increasing from 500 personnel in 1982, to over 1,500 in 1984. In 1988 an assistant attorney general's office for investigating and combating drug trafficking was formed with an additional 1,500 Federal Judicial Police agents. In 1990 the office was expanded and given interagency coordinating functions in the battle against narcotics.
In 2002 it was replaced by the Federal Agency of Investigation due to corruption problems. Between December 1994 and August 1996, 1250 members, or 22% of the force, were arrested for connections to drug cartels.
Famous quotes containing the words federal, judicial and/or police:
“There are always those who are willing to surrender local self-government and turn over their affairs to some national authority in exchange for a payment of money out of the Federal Treasury. Whenever they find some abuse needs correction in their neighborhood, instead of applying the remedy themselves they seek to have a tribunal sent on from Washington to discharge their duties for them, regardless of the fact that in accepting such supervision they are bartering away their freedom.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
“Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
“I guess a career in the police didn’t really prepare you for this, did it?”
—Bob Hunt (b. 1951)