Cuernavaca Officers Protest Over Promised Pay and Missing Gear

Municipal police in Cuernavaca stopped work on 12 October to demand a monthly wage of MXN 17,701, about US$968. The city said the raise applies from 1 October and that a new pay scale would go to the council on 14 October, though the treasurer said full pay depends on valid certification. The protest occurred as Morelos remains under a U.S. Level 3 travel advisory and on the same day as a gang-related standoff in Totolapan.

Cuernavaca, Morelos’s capital just south of Mexico City, saw its city patrol officers stop work on 12 October. Traffic police and state officers reportedly maintained street coverage while the protesters sought the MXN 17,701 monthly benchmark and improved conditions. The National Police Union backed them.

Officers also mentioned broken patrol cars, absent gear and shabby uniforms, and said they worried about retaliation for speaking out. The city said the increase would run from 1 October, with a new pay scale due before the council on 14 October; the treasurer linked full payment to valid certification. Some officers patrol unarmed. The protest coincided with a gang-linked confrontation in Totolapan.