Torreón Municipal Public Security has an interim director after protests against the authorities

After 13 hours of protests, the municipal public safety department has an interim director, and security in the municipality was reestablished around 5:00 p.m. yesterday, Monday.

Starting at six o'clock this morning on Monday, Municipal Public Security officers began a demonstration in response to harassment by the Directorate's leadership, including Director César Perales.

It was during shift change that the officers began their protest, refusing to patrol the city and then taking up positions on the side lanes of the Periférico, just outside the city center.

Carrying banners with messages such as "I resigned due to sexual harassment," "Out with Perales," "Enough paying to work," "No more corruption," and others, the officers took to the Periférico, shouting slogans such as "Out with Perales" and "No more abuse."

Later, some of them moved to the back of the building, where the unit access gates are located, to demand that they open them and release some of the other elements being held in the offices.

Likewise, the City Council Secretary, José Elías Ganem, arrived at the scene early, but decided to leave, returning hours later.

Given the demonstration and the lack of oversight by the preventive corporation, surveillance was left in the hands of the State Police , which included the different groups as well as units from other municipalities of the state corporation.

During the demonstration, some officers reported being victims of sexual harassment by Commissioner César Perales, director of the DSPM. Others reported being forced to pay for repairs to their vehicles. They also indicated that they received a uniform three years ago, while others complained about being charged fees for patrol car assignments.

Likewise, several calls for help were received by the 911 emergency line, reporting that officers who had been assaulted were being held inside the facility. Therefore, SAMU paramedics arrived, but were denied access. It was later learned that although officers were being held inside, they were not assaulted.

The Public Security gates remained closed, and units from the Torreón Reaction Group entered inside, while some officers from the same combat group climbed the surveillance towers to obtain images of the exterior.

Three hours into the demonstration, the entire area surrounding the office was surrounded by state agents, and Mexican Army forces, as well as members of the Criminal Investigation Agency and agents from the Coahuila Prosecutor's Office, arrived to file sexual harassment complaints.

It should be noted that on two occasions, tensions escalated when a tear gas bomb was thrown from inside the building, followed by insults between those inside and those outside the building.

Later, the officers outside handed out bottles of water to their fellow detainees, but after some of them drank them, they received instructions and decided to leave them where they had placed them.

At this point, the governor of Coahuila, Manolo Jiménez , stated that the Federation, Armed Forces and state government would intervene to resolve the situation, for his part, Mayor Román Cepeda said that he did not rule out the possibility that Commander César Antonio Perales would be dismissed from the corporation, this was due to his appearance before the Security Commission of the State Congress.

The city secretary, José Elías Ganem, arrived at the facilities again. Accompanied by the protesters, he went to the gates leading to the city council, which remained closed, and requested that they be opened to engage in dialogue and listen to the protesters' demands.

The secretary met with several officers who expressed their concerns, including the constant demand for out-of-pocket funds for patrol car repairs, including oil changes, brake pads, and tune-ups, under threat of sanctions or arrest if they fail to comply. They also reported harassment by officers and stated they have worked with uniforms that haven't been replaced in three and a half years, unjustified dismissals, and being charged a fee to obtain a patrol car to patrol the streets.

By then, the officers inside the corporation joined the protest outside, all demanding the dismissal of the officers and the director of the corporation.

After 10 hours of protests, despite discussions, they failed to reach an agreement with municipal authorities, as they refused to dismiss Commissioner Cesar Perales, whose whereabouts are still unknown.

During the day, the municipal treasurer, Óscar Luján, went to the facilities, although he was initially denied access. It was at that moment that the city council trustee, Natalia Fernández , was pushed to the access door when she tried to enter, but later, after speaking with the agents, they were allowed to enter to carry out a review of the official units, as part of the demands raised.

Finally, state commanders, accompanied by Mexican army personnel, arrived at the municipal council. They met with representatives from the city council and the dissidents to reach an agreement.

At the meeting, Manuel Pineda was appointed interim general director. He has 15 years of experience. His last position was in the legal department of the Temporary Detention Center. He also served as director of the corporation for several months during Jorge Zermeño's administration .

The interim director immediately gathered the officers in the courtyards, and following the appointment of the sector chiefs, the Municipal Police resumed patrolling the city in coordination with state and Mexican Army forces.

"Rest assured, we've reached a coordination agreement with the state government and the municipal police, and I reiterate, we're working for the safety of Torreón and Coahuila," concluded Manuel Pineda.

Regrettable politicization of security: Coparmex

The Employers' Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) Laguna considered that security in Torreón is becoming politicized and regretted the incident. It called on authorities to open channels of communication and dialogue, as this jeopardizes the coordination that has been essential to keeping this region among the safest in the state.

The organization's president, Jorge Reyes Casas, explained that "when security becomes politicized, we all lose, because it's something we all have to fight for every day, and we see that this issue has already surpassed traditional communication channels and is now reaching the streets, which means that negotiations are somewhat uneven," referring to the work stoppage carried out by Municipal Police officers.

He emphasized that the background to the conflict is political, given that it has been learned that state officials were the ones instigating the protest, coordinating the strike and demonstrations that took place yesterday.

"This puts coordination and security efforts at risk, since police officers are there to protect, not interfere in political matters; by doing so, they neglect the duties for which they are assigned," he commented.

The business organization advocated for collaboration between authorities, for all parties involved to do their work, putting aside personal or political interests and putting the benefit of the region first, especially on a sensitive issue such as security.

Reyes Casas even stated that Coparmex Laguna is willing to intervene as a mediator in the conflict, as priority must be given to maintaining coordination, otherwise there is a risk that organized crime groups will begin to interfere.

(With information from María Elena Holguín)