Loreto’s municipal government opened a new class at its police academy this week, enrolling candidates who will train for six months before joining the city’s public safety force. The program reflects an ongoing effort to professionalize local policing in a municipality that stretches across one of the most geographically isolated corridors on the Baja California Sur coast.
Loreto Has Struggled With Police Staffing for Years
Loreto sits roughly 350 kilometers north of La Paz along the Transpeninsular Highway. The municipality covers a vast area that includes the town center, the Nopoló tourism corridor, and dozens of small rural communities spread across the Sierra de la Giganta. Policing that territory has long been a challenge for a city with a limited tax base and a population of roughly 21,000 residents.
Municipal police academies in Baja California Sur operate under standards set by the national public security system. Candidates must pass physical, psychological, and background evaluations before enrollment. The six-month training curriculum covers firearms handling, human rights protocols, first response procedures, and constitutional law. Graduates receive certification that meets federal requirements for active-duty municipal officers.
Loreto Mayor Jesús Adolfo Trasviña Waldenrath presided over the academy’s opening ceremony. He told the incoming class that public safety is the foundation of any functioning government. Trasviña Waldenrath took office in September 2024 as part of the Morena party’s sweep of municipal governments across Baja California Sur. He has made police recruitment a stated priority during his first months in office.
The mayor also urged current officers and new recruits to treat residents with respect, calling for a police force that earns public trust rather than relying solely on authority. That emphasis on community relations echoes a broader shift in Mexican municipal policing, where low public confidence has historically undermined cooperation between residents and law enforcement.
Police Professionalization Tied to Loreto’s Tourism Growth
Loreto’s economy depends heavily on tourism, particularly sport fishing, eco-tourism in the Loreto Bay National Marine Park, and the slow but steady development of the Nopoló corridor. FONATUR, Mexico’s national tourism development fund, originally planned Nopoló in the 1970s as a major resort destination. Development stalled for decades, but new hotel and residential projects have brought renewed investment in recent years.
That growth has increased pressure on municipal services, including policing. Seasonal population swings bring thousands of visitors during peak fishing months from October through May. A growing community of American and Canadian part-time residents in the Loreto Bay development adds to the demand for reliable public safety infrastructure year-round.
Loreto’s Director of Public Safety, Alan Flores Geraldo, attended the academy ceremony and addressed the recruits alongside the mayor. Flores Geraldo oversees a force that patrols both the urban core and the rural delegaciones that make up most of the municipality’s land area. Roads in the sierra are often unpaved and hours from the nearest backup, making training and self-sufficiency critical for officers stationed outside town.
The academy class also received a message from retired military officer Miguel Ángel Castro López, who spoke about the discipline and commitment required for police work. Castro López emphasized that candidates should view the training period as a test of character, not just a credentialing exercise.
Recruitment Challenges Persist Across Baja California Sur
Police staffing shortages affect nearly every municipality in Baja California Sur. Low salaries, dangerous working conditions, and strict vetting requirements make recruitment difficult across the state. La Paz, the state capital, has repeatedly struggled to fill its own police ranks despite being the largest city in the state with roughly 300,000 residents. Smaller municipalities like Loreto, Comondú, and Mulegé face even steeper obstacles.
Federal law requires that all municipal officers hold current certification from an accredited academy. Officers who fail to maintain certification or who do not pass periodic evaluations, known as control de confianza exams, must be removed from active duty. That standard, while designed to weed out corruption and incompetence, also limits the available pool of qualified candidates in regions with small labor markets.
Loreto’s new academy class will train through the end of 2025 before graduating and joining active patrols. The municipality has not disclosed how many candidates enrolled in this cohort. The next milestone will be the graduation ceremony, expected in late 2025, when the city learns how many recruits completed the full program.
This story was first reported by El Sudcaliforniano.