Mayors on front line of the drug war

Mayors say they are the ones personally confronting the toll of drug violence on the streets. Yet they lack any meaningful role in the federal government’s battle against organized crime.

By Ken Ellingwood

April 15, 2009
From the Los Angeles Times

“Representatives of drug gangs, armed with campaign cash, often make overtures to political candidates. In return, they want a docile police department that will leave them to conduct their trade.

“What organized crime mainly asks from mayors is very simple: ‘You see nothing,’ ” said Sergio Arredondo, who heads a federation in the PRI that represents municipalities. Mayors, he said, are caught “between the sword and the wall. . . . They’re fighting against an enemy that’s much better equipped, much better financed.”

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