"Mexican State's Anti-Corruption Plan: Hire Female Traffic Cops"--Shared by Leili

The Mexican government, struggling against rampant corruption, have fired their traffic cops and hired only women to replace them. According to the article, the police believe that "women are more trustworthy and take their oath of office more seriously. They don't ask for or take bribes." And yet, apparently at least one female traffic officer has already been reported as "threatening to impound [a driver's] car unless she paid a bribe." Hmm, I guess not every woman is exactly the same . . .

Trustworthiness might not be the primary concern for the officers in charge of hiring, either. " Ecatepec Police Chief Carlos Ortega Carpinteyro says the biggest challenge has been finding women who "portray the right kind of image." "We get too many short and fat ones," he explains. Yikes . . . The state also has yet to authorize these women to issue tickets--at the moment they can only blow whistles or give warnings.

To me, it's an odd take on corruption. It seems silly to hire people based primarily on their gender, and I wonder where they get their belief that a group of women will be any more trustworthy than a group of men--individuals are individuals, and should be hired as such. But there is something to say for trying a fresh start. It could also prove a thought-provoking experiment, especially considering Mexico's track record when it comes to women's safety. I've read several reports over the years about large numbers of women being kidnapped and killed in various parts of the country, but I was shocked to discover that, according to the UN, Mexico is first in the world in the number of violence attacks against women. It will be interesting to see what impact having an all-female corps of cops will have on Mexico city.