Mexico violence claims 6 more police officers

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‘A deputy police chief and another commander in western Michoacan state were slain, authorities said Tuesday, in the latest signs of violence in which at least half a dozen officers have been reported dead across Mexico in the last two days,’ The Times’ Ken Ellingwood reports from Mexico City.

‘The victims include a senior investigator gunned down in the border state of Chihuahua and a deputy police chief in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, shot dead along with a bodyguard.’

Ellingwood continues:

‘Violence has escalated since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against organized crime nearly two years ago, and police officers have been frequent targets. More than 500 officers, including dozens of commanders, and soldiers have died, according to Mexican media tallies.’

‘Local police have been hardest hit, prompting some officers to quit or flee to the United States. Many municipal and state officers also work as hired gunmen for drug traffickers and often are caught up in feuds between rival gangs.’

Read more here about Mexico’s surging violence and its social and polical impact.

-- Reed Johnson in Mexico City