Traffic cops killed in Acapulco were actually gang lookouts, prosecutors say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JUAREZ, MEXICO - MARCH 25: Police stand near the car where the body of a 13 year old boy lies dead, one of numerous murders over a 24 hour period, on March 25, 2010 in Juarez, Mexico. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano all visited Mexico on March 23 for discussions centered on Mexico's endemic drug-related violence. The border city of Juarez, Mexico has been racked by violent drug related crime recently and has quickly become one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live. As drug cartels have been fighting over ever lucrative drug corridors along the United States border, the murder rate in Juarez has risen to 173 slayings for every 100,000 residents. President Felipe Calderon's strategy of sending 7000 troops to Juarez has not mitigated the situation. With a population of 1.3 million, 2,600 people died in drug-related violence last year and 500 so far this year, including two Americans recently who worked for the U.S. Consulate and were killed as they returned from a children's party. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (2010 Getty Images)
Prosecutors in southern Mexico say three traffic cops killed in the city of Acapulco last month were working as lookouts for drug gangs.
Guerrero state prosecutors say the police officers had worked for different gangs and were probably slain as part of gang turf wars. They did not identify the gangs involved.
Acapulco's mayor has criticized state prosecutors for not doing more to stop, deter or investigate such killings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But the state prosecutor's office said Monday that the mayor also has a responsibility to prevent crime, presumably by keeping his officers honest.
The officers were shot on the streets of Acapulco in late June. The once-glamorous resort city has become one of Mexico's most violent places.