Mexico - Real Cops

Mexico's cops are routinely involved in extortion, kidnapping, robbery and counterfeiting gangs. For a $125 payoff to their commanding officers, a cop in Mexico City can get assigned to a busy intersection in the capital, netting him a cache of extortion money at the end of a day's work. The cops charge six bucks to overlook a parking violation, $12.50 for running a stop sign and $30 to back off from calling a tow truck. Mexico can boast the world's most corrupt police forces; so corrupt are they, in fact, that the Zedillo government has replaced a huge chunk of Mexico City's forces with soldiers. Real cops popped a Norwegian tourist in October 1998 and kidnapped and raped three girls in Tiahuac district in July 1998, and 19 cops were busted after whacking three youths in October 1997. The pretext most bad cops use when detaining foreigners is an immigration document check. Here's a DP tip-off: Ordinary cops aren't empowered to check immigration documents.