El Centro

How Government Structure Encourages Criminal Violence: The Causes of Mexico’s Drug War by Viridiana Rios Contreras

"Mexico's apparent unabated rates of homicide, kidnappings and assassinations, with targets that include public figures and journalists, continue."

The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) has released a new, comprehensive report, titled Mexico’s Police: Many Reforms, Little Progress.

Mexico Is Not Colombia: Alternative Historical Analogies for Responding to the Challenge of Violent Drug-Trafficking Organizations - RAND Corporation

"Three enforcers hired by Mexico’s biggest drug cartel flew from Los Angeles to Minnesota last month, kidnapped two local teenagers, and then tortured them for hours."

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment spent 12 days in Mexico, and confirms that almost “every Mexican police force” abuses detainees.

Beyond Cocaine Cowboys: Looking at Security in Latin America from a Different Perspective

“The problem is that today’s ‘bad guys’ have learned to operate in this gap between cops and soldiers.”

The Evolution of Los Zetas in Mexico and Central America: Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare - New monograph by SWJ El Centro Fellow George Grayson.

"The current Mexican administration has underemphasized the need to develop a robust law enforcement strategy, focusing too narrowly on socioeconomic factors."

The Texas Department of Public Safety has released the updated Texas Gang Threat Assessment.

The first comprehensive report analyzing the current state of transnational criminal organizations in California and the threats they pose.

“Because of asset shortfalls, we’re unable to get after 74 percent of suspected maritime drug smuggling.”

Street Gangs in Central America: Combating Them With Intelligence Fusion Centers by Thomas Bruneau, E-International Relations