Residents of Lake Chapala’s north shore corridor and local police were alarmed to discover the massive vandalism of the area’s Urban Shield security/surveillance system that occurred before dawn on Thursday, December 14.
In a series of destructive episodes, presumably perpetrated by criminal organizations under the cover of darkness, ten cameras were knocked down along with their respective posts. The coordinated acts of sabotage triggered an intense response by state police. Officers swarmed the municipality together with technicians who were dispatched to each site to assess the damage to the cameras and signal transmitters.
The confirmed locations of the sabotage were on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway at Riberas de Pilar, Mirasol, the Libramiento bypass, La Floresta, Calle Revolución, Villanova and La Canacinta, as well as five more points on the road to Mezcala in the vicinity of Santa Cruz de la Soledad.
All of the cameras had been installed over recent weeks and had not yet been activated for connection to the home base of the state’s video vigilance control system (known as C5).
The posts supporting the cameras were apparently mowed down by a truck to demolish their cement bases.
Later on Thursday, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro issued a statement, saying the vandalism was connected to two similar incidents reported in the municipality of Tepatitlán.
“This is a clear act of organized crime in reaction to the police operations that are being undertaken by the state,” he said. “At the end of the day, we will repair this infrastructure and carry out the investigation.”
Meanwhile, lakeside residents are unnerved by what appears to be a blatant threat of imminent criminal activity. Many are also wondering if municipal and state police in charge of patrolling and protecting the community have been asleep at the wheel.