MEXICAN GOVERNOR FIRES ALL STATE'S POLICE OFFICERS

Corruption Investigation

MEXICO CITY --- The governor of the central Mexican state of
Morelos ordered the firing of all 552 state police officers Monday,
several days after top police commanders were arrested on charges they
provided protection for drug traffickers.

Gov. Sergio Estrada told a news conference that he would launch a
complete restructuring of the so-called investigative police so that
it has agents ``fully trained in criminal investigation . . .
respecting a code of ethics in strict compliance with the law and
human rights.''

The record of each of the dismissed officers will be investigated,
said Estrada, who added that the new force would comprise officers
graduated from the state police academy who will be aided by federal
police forces.

The new members of the force will be subjected to regular lie-detector
tests as well as psychological and drug and alcohol testing, he said.

The police department's former chief, Jose Agustin Montiel, and his
operations director, Ra=FAl Cortes, were arrested last week on
suspicion of protecting a cell of the Juarez Cartel, so-named for the
northern border city where the drug-trafficking organization is based.

Federal organized crime prosecutor Jose Vasconcelos said the two were
part of a network of police officers who helped protect the cartel,
which is led by Vicente Carrillo.

Vasconcelos said last week that the arrests of five other suspects
were pending, but there have been no additional detentions announced.

The daily newspaper El Universal published a report Monday in which
two witnesses supposedly interviewed by federal investigators linked
the governor himself to drug trafficking organizations, an allegation
he denied.

''They have to present some evidence to back up these allegations,''
he said. ``I am also capable of . . . making a lot of things up.''