Michoacán News: Vigilantes and Ex-Police Join Forces, Form Official 'Policia Rural'

Michoacán has a new official police force and it is made up of vigilantes and former police officers who all passed a training course to defent the state agains drug cartels. The new State Rural Force will ensure that criminal history does not repeat itself in the state, said Commissioner for Security and Integral Development of Michoacán, Alfredo Castillo Cervantes, at a ceremony marking the official start of work of the new crime-fighting force.

Michoacán's launch of the police force in a town plagued by organized crime culminates the 'autodefensas' operation, Castillo Cervantes said. He called the troops a "new institution for Mexico." He said "A few years ago a group took over Michoacán (referring to La Familia Michoacana), a group that promised to protect them and ended up abusing us and did so with no reason: the law has had no choice but to stop them - we cannot allow history to repeat itself. You can change history," he said.

Castillo Cervantes called on the new policemen, drawn from the ranks of the autodefensas, to restore calm and security to families and avoid being infiltrated by criminal groups . "It will be your future, be it in a month or 15 months," he said. Thus, the self-defense groups who founded this movement on February 24, 2013 now belong to the Ministry of Public Security (SSP ) of Michoacán, carry weapons registered and have official vehicles to attack crime and contribute to the work of federal authorities in combating organized crime.