To look at him, you wouldn't guess that he's the top cop in Mazatlan. Tomas Coronel Lizarraga is a good looking, clean cut man in his 30s with a young family. He also is a lawyer and a college professor. He was drafted -- somewhat reluctantly, you might guess from what he said -- into serving as police chief by Alejandro Higuera, the municipal president (mayor) of Mazatlan, who's also in his 30s. Chief Coronel was guest speaker for the April meeting of Friends of Mexico, a group of English-speaking foreign residents of Mazatlan, at the beginning of a high-pressure time for his police force: Easter Week. Speaking in fluent English himself, he talked some about his job but mostly about his philosophy. His talk was punctuated by a background barrage of ringing cellphones which he ignored during his appearance in front of the audience. He observed that there is a change happening in Mexico, "People start their day earlier and work harder," he said, adding that municipal government has been trying to reach the collective conscience, that is to say "down with selfishness and up with respect for the law." Coronel explained that the municipal government became aware that there needed to be a change in local society, a focus on a "kinder, more decent" perspective. "We decided to work with families first, to stop and look inside ourselves. I mean, why do people want to go out drinking and watching people naked?" This comment was made in apparent reference to the city's crackdown on the opening of more nightclubs that feature topless dancers and lap dancers. This concentration on the collective conscience explains, in the chief's words, "why the mayor is fighting all the time with rich people who don't pay their water bills or other types of taxes. American people have a clear sense about taxes and the services that government gives you (in return)." While Coronel said he looks forward to the end of the year, when he can leave his office along with everyone in the current municipal administration, he lamented the fact that three years is too short a time to bring about the major changes in society that city hall has been aiming for. Yet, he added, "Change will come, it's inevitable." The chief fielded a few questions and heard comments from the floor: One man asked about curbs painted yellow. Yes, that means no parking (although the chief admitted that often, the public does not observe it). "One problem in Mazatlan is two-car households," he said, "and the lack of wider streets." A woman pointed out that while walking home alone after dark, she noticed a police car trailing behind her, seeming to protect her until she reached her door. On graffiti, he said his patrols are all out watching for "grafters." Most are teenagers and most do their handiwork between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. It takes only a few seconds, he said, for a youngster to mark up a pristine wall. Believe it or not, added the chief, some parents think it's

unfair for their kids to be jailed for 36 hours and have to pay for paint to cover up the damages. Somebody in the audience suggested that maybe those parents ought to pay their children's penalties instead. On personnel, Chief Coronel said that many of his policemen are underpaid and live in virtual poverty. Beginning officers receive a salary of only 3,200 pesos a month and the top of the scale is 12,000 pesos a month. He said that if he had his way, the police force would be paid much better than it is for the kinds of risks they take day in and day out on the job. Why does the chief allow his officers to ride around in the back of pickup trucks without benches or roofs? "They don't want benches and roofs. They're Sinaloenses. Anyway, walking is the best for the police. They need a closer view," he said, of what is going on, a way to read body language in tough situations. Chief Tomas Coronel obviously maintains a positive attitude about his work, considering his closing comments: "I don't carry a gun and I don't know how to use one. I don't wear body armor. I don't have bodyguards. I don't look for trouble." NOTE: THERE IS A SIDEBAR TO THIS STORY BELOW!!! coronel sidebar The force under Colonel's command The Municipal Police Department under the direction of Chief Tomas Coronel is a force numbering 1,065 officers, of which 714 are regular police and 106 are transit police. The regular police uniform consists of navy blue shirt and trousers, although in the summer season they may wear sports shirts of either white, navy blue or gray, but always with the police logo on the front and the word "policia" on the back. The transit police wear brown shirts and caps, and beige trousers. In addition to those, there is a squad of bicycle police and lifeguards who are also trained policemen to fill out the total. The bicycle police wear navy blue shorts and sports shirts of white, gray or navy blue with the police logo on the front and the word "policia" on the back. Since the municipality of Mazatlan is the equivalent of a county which stretches to El Quelite on the north, Walamo on the south, inland eastward to river towns such as El Recodo and El Roble, and well beyond those into the sierra to the Durango border, Coronel is responsible for policing the rural areas as well as the city. Of his total force, he has 902 policemen and women distributed in the urban zone, divided into 10 sectors "to provide better service," says a police department spokeswoman, and 163 agents, including transit police, in the rural zone. The municipal police department has 64 patrol vehicles, 14 traffic patrol vehicles, 16 motorcycles (8 each for regular and traffic patrols), 2 aquatic cycles for use on water rescues, and one launch. The department also has a fleet of 96 bicycles which are used for street patrols, mainly in the Golden Zone, the downtown center and those neighborhoods where it is difficult to patrol in motor vehicles.