The Chapala Department of Public Security (DSP) has received a supply of geolocation devices known as pulsos de vida to distribute to local women who are at risk of being victims of violence.
The panic button gadgets can be activated to send a distress signal to police headquarters so that officers can be immediately dispatched to aid the user in preventing acts of violence or intervening to detain her aggressor. If needed, specialized police personnel will be sent to guide the victim to a safe place.
The Pulsos de Vida system is commonly employed as a shield for women holding protection orders against known domestic abuse offenders. The device operating in real time can be kept close at hand by being worn as a necklace pendant or as a key chain fob.
Last month, the DSP received 23 pulso de vida kits provided at no cost by the Jalisco Public Security Crime Prevention Unit, added to 11 others delivered in November.
According to Chapala Police Commissioner Alfredo Ulloa, the DSP does not depend solely on the technological apparatus to protect vulnerable women, but also regularly sends officers to check up on their wellbeing and give them reassurance.
Chapala now counts among 18 Jalisco municipalities that have implemented Pulso de Vida programs, supported with resources granted by the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women (CONAVIM).
National statistics indicate that seven out of ten Mexican women have suffered physical or psychological aggression at some point in their lives.