After a recent green light from the city council, the Chapala police department is preparing to invest in the purchase of a half-dozen vehicles to renovate its depleted patrol fleet.
According to Public Security Director Adán Dominguez, the local police force should be equipped with five new patrol trucks and a sedan before the end of this month, in time to ensure adequate community vigilance during the July 1 election process. He acknowledges that routine police work has been hampered by the poor condition of many police vehicles, resulting in frequent downtime for mechanical servicing and repairs.
Expenditures for vehicle acquisitions will come from the 10-million-peso package allotted to Chapala this year under Fortaseg, a federal funding program earmarked to fortify public security on the municipal level.
Fortaseg funds, complemented by a two-million-peso share from the city coffers, will also cover completion of the first stage of building Chapala’s new police headquarters, now under construction in the vicinity of the Soriana supermarket.