Police Extortion

I live in lake chapala and we drive our vw jetta all the time never had this problem

sorter55555 wrote:

Short version: Motorcycle cop pulls us over. Wants 800 pesos for a "ticket." He wants me to put the pesos in a notebook he handed me so no one sees the cash. I thought Merida didn't have so much of this nonsense. Is this common? What other types of extortion can I expect?

That depends.

Did you do anything wrong?

Did you break any traffic laws?

There's a big difference between the guys who will try and get something for nothing and those who will stop you legitimately and tell you to pay them directly.

When you say motorcycle cop, I'm assuming you mean a local policeman and not some sort of federal cop?

Most local policemen in Mexico don't make squat, and the only way they do manage to make a living is by "purchasing" the rights to a specific area.

Then, if they make a legit stop based on something a person has done wrong, they decide whether they want to take you into the station or just have you pay them directly.

I haven't been everywhere in Mexico but from what I understand, that dynamic is pretty common throughout the country.

That's different from the guys who will stop you when you haven't done anything wrong and they attempt to extort money from you anyway.

That may not make a difference in the way you feel when you're stopped and asked for money, but the first example (when you've actually done something wrong) is just considered the cost of doing business, and even preferable for people who don't want to get involved with the local police station.

It's possible we rolled through a stop sign but I doubt it. If the stop was legitimate, why have me pass the cash in a hidden way? I was not given an actual ticket. He didn't record anything. 800 pesos (40 dollars) sounds about right for an infraction. That's the only indication the stop was legitimate. So, I can't be sure but I'd bet it was extortion.

There really isn't enough information  warranting that assumption. I would imagine that you were pulled over for some reason. The way to deal with that is to ask to see the infraction. Are you aware that some streets in el centro change the legal direction 1 or 2 days a week or close some streets. Merida is one of them. .Depending on how you respond their attitude may change.how they behave. Is your car licensed and legal? Currently there is a crack down on improperly licensed motorcycles. There is a lot of attention being given to some illegal activity being conducted by college students.
I only had a problem with a questionable traffic stop in one or two cases. That sort of activity stopped when I had a Mexican license and a R.P.

I have lived here and been to many parts of Mexico for going on14 years . I always ask what the infraction is and I never had a "ticket" in Merida.

If it was legitimate, why have me pass the cash hidden in his notebook? I started to hand the cash to him directly and he quickly indicated to use the notebook.

Ok time for me to be real and pull out my x law enforcement hat I wore in my youth.  Those who protest the most know they did something wrong and are looking for excuses.  You see the posts of people who have been in mexico a long time with never a problem?  But your the special one who had one?  Attitude is worth alot and we don't know what Attitude you had and what law you broke because you won't ever admit to either.  So stop the mexico hate and if you don't like it down here.... go back to america.

sorter55555 wrote:

If it was legitimate, why have me pass the cash hidden in his notebook? I started to hand the cash to him directly and he quickly indicated to use the notebook.

Respectfully, I think you're missing the point:

Police who stop you for a legitimate reason often choose to have you pay them personally, collecting an amount similar to a fine that would be paid at the police station.

It's how they survive, otherwise they would be paying for the opportunity to work a particular route but be unable to recoup any of that money.

Travellight is giving you good advice:

If it really bothers you, you can demand to see what the infraction is and even request to follow them to the police station and pay there.

Personally, if I knew I did wrong, I'd like to see the beat cop get to keep the fine.

That may sound crazy, but it's my way of recognizing the reality of life in my adopted country.

Wishing you mucho happiness 😎

"mexico hate" that's so presumptuous, silly and so beside anything I said. Looks like trolling to me.

travellight had good advice. I might use it when my spanish gets better but likely I'll just pay it and be on my way.

I never said it bothered me. I'm just wondering what to expect. Of course extortion is wrong whether I did something wrong or not, but I'm realistic.

No one has answered the key question. If it wasn't extortion, why did he insist I hide the cash in his notebook?

You did something wrong and got caught.  And instead of you having to do the hassle of a ticket he had you pay him directly.

Things work different is different countries.  Get used to it and move along.  You got your 10 minutes of drama now move on.

MexicoAfterlife wrote:

You did something wrong and got caught.  And instead of you having to do the hassle of a ticket he had you pay him directly.

Things work different is different countries.  Get used to it and move along.  You got your 10 minutes of drama now move on.

You couldn't possibly miss the point more.
Whether or not I did something wrong is irrelevant.
You got your jollies trying to bad mouth me from whatever emotional deficiency. Are you happy now?

sorter55555 wrote:

If it wasn't extortion, why did he insist I hide the cash in his notebook?

Because this is traditionally done discreetly.

Would you prefer that an announcement be put out on the nearest public address system?

Or do you just want to pay up where cam footage might pick up the exchange from your hand to the hand of the officer?

It's not very different from a church where you put your offering in a plate or a KFC bucket or in the donation box by the door, instead of walking up to the pastor or priest and putting the cash in their hand.

If you are truly being extorted (the demand for money without any consideration whatsoever) in Mexico, you will know it.

Hopefully you'll never find yourself in that situation because that can really be some scary sh*t.

Remember, in the future, just demand to go to the police station and you'll end up paying the same amount of money and you'll spend all of that time going to the station and returning to wherever you were stopped (and probably some extra time at the station waiting to have your payment formally processed) but you will come away with a feeling of having done the "right" thing.

Whatever floats your boat...

I want a ticket that lists my infraction. I want the option to contest it.
That way I can be fairly sure the officer is not just stopping gringos for no reason just so he/she can buy a new boat. That's extortion and it's wrong.

Lol your not in Kansas anymore...... I would say your not a good fit for x pat life. Adapt or go home.

So Mexico gets a pass on civilized police procedures because, well, that's just how it's done in Mexico. That would be incredibly stupid.

How many countries have you visited?  I have been to 9 and they are all different.  In Germany if a policeman with a dog tells you to drop if you don't that dog will be on you and he won't pull it off till you stop moving..... by usa standard that is bad... but in Germany it is the way it is. We are visitors in other countries we don't tell them how to do stuff.

Then I guess you would be a good German. And that is not a compliment.

But again, all you said has nothing to do with anything I've said or asked about.
You certainly can use this forum to spout off and not follow the conversation but I don't see the need.

Lol wow wake up. You are in another country not USA.  I am trying to tell you get over it because things are different in other countries. Rule one when you go abroad never think the rest of the world works like the USA or that you can change it to work like the USA. Your the type that gives us a bad name as a country when you go over seas.

And no I was a senior officer for the DOJ and I really didn't like that heavy use of force but that is how they do it and I am a visitor so I deal with it.

Again. Not responsive to anything I've said or asked about. There is nothing I need to get over and certainly nothing you can "help" me with.

Ok then just show the world what a USA "Karen" acts like lol. We tried but it's obvious you will never understand. Good day.

MexicoAfterlife wrote:

Ok then just show the world what a USA "Karen" acts like lol. We tried but it's obvious you will never understand. Good day.

That's clearly projection.

Good riddance.

Cops don't get paid what they do in the English world, the majority of the world runs like this. Travel the world and see what other police, customs and military are like.
You can refuse to pay. he will either walk away or you will go to the police station to pay. Most likely this will take up most of your day and they will start looking for other infractions to fine you.
So in the future just refuse to pay and let it play out.

Atta boy. Typical cop answer. A little paranoia goes a long way to justify "they gotta be guilty" if thy were stopped.
And I gotta right to hate certain aspects of MX life and remain here. Hmm, makes me wonder why you live in MX. It's admirable, if you left your country of origin because you hated it...lol.

An addendum to previous post. When a had a vehicle in MX, in anticipation of being stopped for what would be an extortion attempt  which never happened, I kept the phone number of the US consulate, Merida on speed dial. I would have had the consulate duty officer talk to the cop to get clarification. Of course the cop would have to give up, name, ID, name of immediate supervisor, and duty  station.

First Last wrote:

Atta boy. Typical cop answer. A little paranoia goes a long way to justify "they gotta be guilty" if thy were stopped.
And I gotta right to hate certain aspects of MX life and remain here. Hmm, makes me wonder why you live in MX. It's admirable, if you left your country of origin because you hated it...lol.

I said nothing of the sort. Some people can't read. I ask a simple question and several people give me vitriol and a knee jerk defense of cops when they couldn't possibly know one way or the other.

jeesh, this conversation is exhausting.. It's Mexico dude, you happened to get pulled over and had to pay a whole $40 under the radar to not have to go "downtown".. i've never had an issue there neither as long as you dont stick out and stay under the radar (i.e. don't act like an American).. dont buy drugs from someone you don't know or trust neither, could be undercover and shake you down for a hell of a lot more..

richnsteve wrote:

jeesh, this conversation is exhausting.. It's Mexico dude, you happened to get pulled over and had to pay a whole $40 under the radar to not have to go "downtown".. i've never had an issue there neither as long as you dont stick out and stay under the radar (i.e. don't act like an American).. dont buy drugs from someone you don't know or trust neither, could be undercover and shake you down for a hell of a lot more..

Again, really as nothing to do with what I've said or asked about. Don't know why you bothered.
However, this sense of "It's Mexico dude" that several people want to espouse for some reason I just don't understand, is stupid. You found a way to feel defensive??? I don't care if it's Mexico or Timbucktu, it's bad policing.

First Last wrote:

Atta boy. Typical cop answer. A little paranoia goes a long way to justify "they gotta be guilty" if they were stopped.
And I gotta right to hate certain aspects of MX life and remain here. Hmm, makes me wonder why you live in MX. It's admirable if you left your country of origin because you hated it...lol.

Good points First Last. I keep wondering about the accusations staying so consistently the same and quite consistent about assigning blame yet not able to remember what the initiating action was. Somehow we as a group have been of the same opinion. The one and only question seems to be, do we accept the extortion accusations claim?    or help with how to deal with the problem and learn how to live in a new country.

travellight wrote:

I keep wondering about the accusations staying so consistently the same and quite consistent about assigning blame yet not able to remember what the initiating action was.

If you had read and understood post 4 you would know all that is completely off base.