AMBASSADOR VISITS SAN LUIS POTOSI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTERREY 000008

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ECON EFIN MX
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS SAN LUIS POTOSI

REF: A. A) `08 MTY 349

B. B) `08 MTY 350

MONTERREY 00000008 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Summary. On January 7, the Ambassador and the GoM's
Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) Director of Operations
Facundo Rosas Rosas and AmEmbassy Mexico's NAS Director,
traveled to San Luis Potosi to tour the SSP's Training Academy.
The facility has trained incoming SSP cadets since 2009 with NAS
funding and instruction by U.S. and other international
trainers. During his visit, the Ambassador met with Academy
Director Severino Cartagena, San Luis Potosi Governor Fernando
Toranzo, and state Public Security Secretary Galindo Cevallos.
This was the first visit by a U.S. Ambassador to San Luis Potosi
in over ten years. The Ambassador's remarks to the press at the
Academy were covered by nearly 30 national and international
media outlets. His comments to the press after his meeting with
the Governor were covered by more than a dozen San Luis Potosi
reporters. End Summary.

SSP Training Academy
--------------


2. (SBU) At the SSP Training Academy, the Ambassador toured
the facilities and met with Academy Director Severino Cartagena.
Director Cartagena thanked the USG for the support and
assistance it offered in the effort to train thousands of SSP
cadre. Over 3,400 cadets have received instruction under the
program so far with most students hailing from Mexico's Federal
District and surrounding areas. He noted that the GoM wanted to
change the way its law enforcement agents were trained as well
as the public's perception of the federal police. Federal
Police Director Rosas declared that supervisors were now
emphasizing people skills, declaring that it is difficult to
know how to be tough on criminals but also empathetic with crime
victims. One of the lessons learned, according to Cartegena,
was that students should first work on analyzing procedures and
methods before being assigned to field work.


3. (SBU) Cartagena stated that the Academy works with some of
Mexico's finest universities and has a diverse student body.
Women make up more than 40 percent of its cadets and 94 percent
of the recruits possess a university degree. Rosas observed
that the low prevailing salary level was a barrier to attracting
students, as was the emphasis on cadets having a university
degree. Many college graduates, he continued, are not
interested in becoming police officers. Cartagena praised the
quality of the international instructors (who, in addition to
the U.S., have come from Spain, Colombia, Canada, the
Netherlands, and the Czech Republic),noting that they teach in
teams alongside Mexican instructors. International instructors,
he stated, tended to share their real life experiences with
students which was something that the Mexican teachers usually
did not do.


4. (SBU) The Ambassador asked when Mexican instructors would
take over all of the teaching duties at the Academy. Director
Rosas replied that this year's plan was to keep improving the
quality of the Mexican instructors. Rosas also noted that the
Academy was developing courses that would teach instructors to
train other trainers. The Ambassador inquired if the Academy
representatives kept in contact with graduates to ensure they
received continuing education, or if the Academy had any type of
formal alumni network in place. Cartagena recognized that the
institution needed to find a way to use its recent graduates to
recruit future cadets and to establish a continuing education
program. Rosas added that the Academy also needed to measure
the impact made by individual graduates. He declared that
recent events in Morelia had shown that some graduates were
doing good work. The Ambassador commented that they might
consider introducing a self-evaluation component as well,
whereby graduates could assess their experiences and training.

Session with Governor Toranzo
--------------



5. (SBU) The Ambassador met with Governor Fernando Toranzo of
the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) at the Governor's
residence. Toranzo explained that he had been trained as a
surgeon and had dedicated his career to the field of public
health and medicine. He had served as a state representative
and twice as state Secretary of Health. The Governor compared
security problems in Mexico to an epidemic which knows no
boundaries. While San Luis Potosi has not been affected as
severely as other regions of the country, it is still an issue
which he takes seriously, he said. Toranzo stated that in

MONTERREY 00000008 002.2 OF 002


coming days the state would reopen its state police academy,
previously in disrepair, and which is located adjacent to the
SSP academy. The state plans to offer graduates from its
academy a university-level degree. The Governor commented that
state law enforcement authorities work well with their federal
counterparts. Every Monday, he chairs a cabinet meeting with
the heads of all federal agencies that have offices in San Luis
Potosi. Cooperation and information sharing is key to success,
he concluded.


6. (SBU) The Ambassador stated that governability was not won
through military action or brute force. It was won with strong
institutions, rule of law, and the collaboration of all
interested parties. He noted positive signs in Tijuana, where
the authorities conducted joint police/military operations.
Working together, he said, generates positive results.


7. (SBU) Turning to economic issues, Toranzo stated that he
sought to reactivate the state's economy. He welcomed foreign
investment and said that he planned to travel to Mexico City to
meet with the American Chamber of Commerce. State development
agencies, he continued, were offering attractive incentive
packages to companies considering San Luis Potosi. Toranzo
noted that, given the state's strategic location in the
geographic center of the country, with easy connections to the
Pacific in the west, the Gulf to the east, and the U.S. to the
north, his administration wanted to make San Luis Potosi a
high-quality distribution center. Eighty-five percent of
Mexico's GDP is produced within a four-hour driving radius of
San Luis Potosi. The Ambassador spoke of Nuevo Leon's effort to
establish an inland port, which would consist of a customs area
and connecting distribution infrastructure. If successful this
could help move border activities away from the crowded
geographic border. The Governor noted that San Luis Potosi
hoped to build an international cargo airport, and was looking
at public and private financing options for this and other key
projects. The Ambassador suggested that the Governor learn more
about USAID's municipal bond development program.

C-4 Center
--------------



8. (U) Subsequent to the meeting with the Governor, the
Ambassador toured the state's C-4 (Command, Control,
Coordination, and Computer Center) facility, where he met with
San Luis Potosi state Public Security Secretary Galindo
Cevallos. At the C-4 center, federal, state, and local law
enforcement authorities can monitor incidents (using cameras
posted in key locations throughout the state/city) and
coordinate responses. Galindo declared that San Luis Potosi's
C-4 analysis unit was one of the best in the country.




9. (SBU) Comment. The Ambassador's visit to the national
Police Training Academy in San Luis Potosi highlighted the
important collaboration between Mexico and the U.S. under the
Merida Initiative at a critical time in Mexico's fight against
organized crime. Director Rosas took pains to publicly thank
the Ambassador throughout the day for USG cooperation,
particularly at the press conference. Although Governor Toranzo
is aligned with the PRI party, he is considered independent and
has a good working relationship with all parties and municipal,
state, and federal agencies. The Governor is keenly focused on
economic opportunities, education, public health, and security.
San Luis Potosi's C-4 Center is considered one of the best in
the country and a positive example of inter-agency cooperation.
End Comment.
WILLIAMSONB