Forums > Areas > Jalisco's Lake Chapala Region

mickeyz

Apr 11, 2003, 1:23 PM

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Federales seeking bribes

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I was reading (yes I am STILL busy searching and reading, just my nature!)

I found this regarding cars and driving:

obtain Mexican license plates (which seem to reduce the number of times you may be stopped by Federales seeking bribes)

Is this true, about the bribes? Is this really a problem or just another one of those persistent rumors?

Should one actually get Mexican plates? What next, a Mexican disguise? I don't think I could pull that one off! LOL

Mickey

Major

Apr 11, 2003, 2:09 PM

Post #2 of 10 (637 views)

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Re: [mickeyz] Federales seeking bribes

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Let me try to answer this.

First it is next to impossible to obtain Mexican plates for a vehicle from outside of the country. Used cars aren't allowed to be imported.

Second, I think the story of the "federales" by which I think you are referring to the Federal Highway Police, is mostly an exagerration. Mexican drivers far outnumber the foreigners and while there are no doubt enough episodes of them shaking down a gringo, I'm of the opinion that they target their paisanos far more. And the Mexican truckers probably the most.

Don

Apr 11, 2003, 4:17 PM

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Re: [mickeyz] Federales seeking bribes

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I brought down 2 U.S. plated vehicles and drove them for a couple of years before I had them legalized. I was never stopped by any police or ever asked for a bribe. Even with my Jalisco plates, I have never been stopped. At present, I don't think there is any special program to legalize foreign plated cars. As Major says, I think Mexicans returning home for visits are more apt to be stopped and harassed, but even that has slowed with the authorities cracking down on that type of harrassment. Even at the border, some harassment has stopped. My son-in-law returning last year with gifts for the family, far over the $50 per person limit, was not harrassed as usual. They let him past the check points with all his gifts with a "Have a good visit". When he tried to tip them for being so polite, they refused, saying they could get in trouble.

PeggyS

Apr 11, 2003, 11:58 PM

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Re: [mickeyz] Federales seeking bribes

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Persistent rumor or what, who knows? My husband drives a Mexican plated car, bought here, and I drive a Florida plated car - neither of us has ever been stopped.
However, when I brought the car down from Florida, a close friend of ours coming to visit us, followed us down. I was in my Jag XJS two-seater roadster and he was in an older Dodge truck. We had almost identical Florida (Marine Corps) license plates, coincidentally. He was stopped and harrassed everywhere from the border to every highway and town we went through. He would be pulled over, and I would stop too. They would wave us on, but either my husband or I would get out and walk back to see what on earth was going on. He spoke no Spanish. but when we would show up, the policeman/inspector or whoever would change his attitude, ask if he could help on directions etc, and then wave us on. And shortly thereafter, the truck would be pulled over for "speeding", (following us at the same speed) or "being in the wrong lane" or some other nonsense, over and over.
Yet on his trip back to the states after his visit, being driven by a Mexican friend of ours going that way, on a different route, they happily speeded all they wanted and never got stopped once.
So you figure it out and try to make sense of it. Last year it seemed that if your U.S. plated car was 10 years or more old (and not a luxury model) you could get Mexican plates for it. Something else to think about.

Roses5410

Apr 12, 2003, 8:30 AM

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Re: [PeggyS] Federales seeking bribes

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Maybe they look for a certain profile that might fit drug smugglers (certain make of vehicle, certain age person, certain look to that person) - who knows?
I love taking pictures...check out my prints for sale @ http://Rosacalaca.dpcprints.com/

Ed and Fran

Apr 17, 2003, 7:49 PM

Post #6 of 10 (516 views)

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Re: [Roses5410] Federales seeking bribes

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I've only had one personal experience with the Federales (Policia Federal de Caminos). They pulled me over for speeding (way over the limit) a few years back. We were out in the middle of nowhere. I had a U.S. license with a Mexican plated car. They just gave me a verbal warning and let me go. No threat of a ticket and no hint of any fine/bribe. They have a reputation with the locals where we live as being, generally speaking, people who you don't try to bribe.

Now the local Transit Police (in whatever town) are another story altogether.

Your mileage, and experience, may vary.........

Frank Burton

Apr 19, 2003, 12:50 AM

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Re: [Ed and Fran] Federales seeking bribes

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I've never had any experience with the federales either, tho we've seen many of them as we've traveled in Mexico in the last couple of years. And in crossing the border a few times via auto recently, I've experienced none of the 'mordida' that was common with the federal agents at and near the border years ago.

As Ed and Fran said, the local police are another story. We see cars stopped all the time at three locations: near the two traffic lights in Chapala and near the intersection of the carretera along the lake with the libramiento bypass, between San Antonio Tlay and La Floresta. There may be a tendency for it to be US/Canada cars a bit more than their proportion of total vehicles Lakeside, but we've seen many Mexican-plated vehicles stopped too.

My wife and I have each been stopped in the last couple of months in the town of Chapala, her for what probably was an illegal U-turn and me for 'running' a red light, though I'm pretty sure I entered and cleared the intersection on yellow. In both cases, we followed the advice of the Chapala police chief in an article we'd seen posted at LCS, which advocated cooperating with the officer but never offering a bribe because it's illegal to either give or receive one. Also because the chief said he's trying to stop the mordida by his guys. He said to just accept the ticket if they really want to write one, go to the office in Riberas and pay the fine, which probably would be less than the mordida anyway.

So we followed the chief's advice and cooperated with the officer on showing driver's license, registration, etc., but didn't offer any mordida. The officer stalled and asked each of us repeatedly if we wanted a ticket (pretty obviously hoping we'd say no and offer the mordida) to which we replied in so many words, "not particularly". And neither time did the officer actually ask for money--I suspect that would make them vulnerable, especially if there were witnesses in the car. In each case, after detaining us for several minutes, the officer sent us on our way with a verbal warning.

We also have heard several reports that the bribes which seemed to be required in the past in dealing with the Migracion people in the Guad office and from that office on their regular weekly Lakeside visits, are a thing of the past. In our own (sparse) dealings with them, there never was a hint of any need for the mordida or a propina or any such. Here again, we've seen an interview in the local press with the relatively-new head of that office in Guad, in which he stated that things have changed and he won't put up with anybody in his office putting 'the bite' on people.

All in all, things seem much better on this front than they were 20-30 years ago when I travelled in Mexico. I could tell a story or two about the bad 'good old days', but will spare us all. . . . .

Uncle Donnie

Apr 19, 2003, 11:12 AM

Post #8 of 10 (456 views)

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Re: [Frank Burton] Federales seeking bribes

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I agree with the assessment by Rosy. I used to get stopped a lot more often when I drove a big Jeep with dark tinted windows and I had long hair.

Frank, down here yellow evidently means stop because I've been pulled over for the same infraction in a number of places. Better safe than sorry on that one. Besides, we're in Mexico with no jobs and very few important appointments. No rush no more.

As for the stop light at the libramiento, I know several folks who have been ticketed for not waiting for the left turn arrow. "What arrow?" is evidently not a defense.

And on a recent trip from Laredo in a Texas plated vehicle we were stopped three times. Once in Saltillo, right at dusk. Mordida paid after extensive negotiations during which the officer refused to take my license as security after I told him I'd just check into a motel and pay the ticket "manana"; once by the MHP just north of San Luis Potosi about one a.m., with a quick question as to where we were going, a wave, and adios on outta there; and once by a transito in SLP who negotiated a small mordida in the early hours of the morning.

I believe foreign plated cars might be stopped more frequently in non-tourist areas, at odd hours like I usually drive. Otherwise it seems to be about what you'd statistically expect.

Just my opinion.

Shameless self-promotion:
http://www.headformexico.com

jennifer rose

Apr 19, 2003, 11:39 AM

Post #9 of 10 (452 views)

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And what color is your balloon?

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I have this theory, which has yet to be disproved. There are simply some people, without regard to driving skill, looks or nationality, and it matters not whether they’re driving a 1959 Ford pickup truck without lights, a 1995 generic car with generic plates, or a stretch Humvee, who simply have a cloud over their heads. They’re going to be stopped, no matter what. It’s almost as if there’s a balloon connected with little bubbles, saying “Stop me, stop me, make me pay!”

And there are those who are never stopped. The words in their ballon read “Make my day.”

(This post was edited by jennifer rose on Apr 20, 2003, 10:28 PM)

Frank Burton

Apr 20, 2003, 10:17 PM

Post #10 of 10 (401 views)

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Re: [Uncle Donnie] Traffic Laws Different in Mexico

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Uncle Donnie, I agree that down here yellow apparently means stop, and that no jobs/very few rush appointments should mean "what's the hurry anyway?" And . . . having lived for so long where the definition of a traffic light violation was "entering the intersection on red", entering intersections on yellow is a hard habit for me to break. Hope I can break it before it becomes expensive.

Your comment on the traffic light violations at the libramiento brings to mind one of the biggest differences in traffic laws in Mexico: At an intersection with a traffic light which includes a left arrow in its cycle, the only time it's legal to turn left is when the green arrow is active. I was very greatful that someone posted that rule on Mexconnect before I ever drove in this area, and so am repeating it in the hope of saving someone who's relatively new to the Forum. In the States, one may generally turn left on either the green arrow, or on the solid green light so long as there's not a red arrow.

I've seen documention in the Sanborn's Travelog series of the rule about turning left only on the green arrow if there is one, so assume that that's a general rule in Mexico, not just a way to line the local policia's pockets.

And Jennifer, my balloon (and my car) have been invisible to traffic enforcers for the last many years, until the Thou-Shall-Not-Enter-on-Yellow Policia in Chapala. . . . Starting last week, cars behind me better have good brakes when the light turns yellow. . . .