Approximately 150 municipal police officers from Uruapan were dismissed today after failing to pass vetting and trust-assessment exams. Dissatisfied with this decision, the officers staged a protest at the Plaza de la Ranita in the city, which is located about 120 kilometers from Morelia. The dismissal decision was made by the municipal Secretary of Public Security, Omar Guadarrama.
Uruapan Mayor Grecia Quiroz took to social media to back Omar Guadarrama’s work in the process of reviewing and strengthening the police force. “As part of this process, some officers will not continue in their roles because they failed to pass the vetting and trust-assessment exams or do not currently meet all the requirements established by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System,” she stated in a release.
The officers had been summoned to the Casa de la Cultura, where their superiors notified them of their dismissal—a situation that sparked discontent and led to the subsequent protest at Plaza de la Ranita.
The officers—some with over 20 years of service—claimed the dismissal was arbitrary, noting that many were in the process of taking the exams and were temporarily performing crime-prevention duties; they did not rule out taking legal action to assert their labor rights.
According to the aggrieved officers, at least 150 personnel were dismissed, although municipal authorities did not officially specify the exact number of officers discharged.
Source: jornada
