By Christopher Sherman
Associated Press
LAREDO, Texas — Federal officials say the next phase in the joint U.S.-Mexico fight against transnational drug cartels will for the first time focus on training and equipping Mexican police at the state and local level.
William Brownfield, who is the assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, announced Wednesday a $1.4 billion federal initiative that will allow Webb County sheriff’s deputies to travel to Mexico or Central American countries to train law enforcement peers.
The Merida Initiative marks a first-of-its-kind agreement with a local law enforcement agency on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Brownfield says it’s clear that local forces face the most concentrated violence in the ongoing battle with cartels, especially in northern Mexico, and also are in the most need of training.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press