”She was the only person to accept the position,” said the mayor’s office in Praxedis Guadalupe Guerrero. The daily threat of violence in the town has claimed the lives of police officers and a former mayor.
”I took the risk because I want my son to live in a different community to the one we have today. I want people to be able to go out without fear, as it was before,” Marisol Valles said.
More than 2500 people have been killed this year in the Juarez valley region where the town is situated. The area is a high-traffic transit point for illegal drugs.
Ms Valles said her job would not be to fight drug trafficking because that responsibility fell on soldiers and federal police. Instead, she will focus on improving general security by rehabilitating public spaces and improving relationships between neighbours.
‘I’ve been well received and I know people will help me to work on solutions for security problems,” she said.
Marisol Valles is a 20 year old mother of a baby son, still a student and she is also the newest chief of police in a drug-plagued region of northern Mexico.
The Illustrationist 