The southern state of Oaxaca will spend an unprecedented 712 million pesos (US $40 million) to overhaul its public safety and victim support operations during 2026.

In a press conference announcing the initiative, Governor Salomon Jara Cruz said the new allocation of resources, which will focus on equipment, technology and police salaries, will make Oaxaca’s citizen protection budget one of the nation’s largest for the third consecutive year.  

Karina Barón Ortiz, who heads the Executive Secretariat of the State Public Security System of Oaxaca, explained that this historic investment is made up of a federal contribution of 312.2 million pesos (US $18.36 million) and a state investment of 399.9 million pesos (US $23.52 million).

Barón added that these resources are part of the investment plan for 2026 to strengthen the infrastructure, equipment and operation of security corporations. 

With the investment, the state government will seek to keep its security equipment up to date by purchasing 65 rapid response patrol vehicles, 81 motorcycle patrols, 8,025 uniforms and 2,020 video surveillance cameras, in addition to renewing 430 firearms. 

It will also renovate tactical gear, ballistic shields, and high-end radios, in addition to acquiring drones and medical laboratory products for research.

Crucially, police officers will receive a 17.24% pay increase.

“Beyond the numbers and percentages, this is an act of justice and dignity,” Barón said.  We know that behind every uniform there is a home, daughters and sons who go to school, as well as hopes and dreams.” 

She added, “A well-paid police officer, valued and respected by his government, is an incorruptible police officer, dedicated and committed to the defense of his people.” 

A ‘make your own forensic kit’ workshop sparks controversy

The Oaxaca municipality of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec was the subject of a national controversy after women activists criticized a free workshop scheduled on behalf of Women’s Day, which called on women to prepare their own forensic kits in case of a disappearance.

The activity, which was canceled, invited participants to bring a blouse they had worn throughout the day, as well as a recent, unfiltered, printed photograph.  

“The State’s obligation is to prevent disappearances, and on top of not being able to do that, now they are also placing the burden on women to create their own files to determine if they are victims of disappearance,” the Brujas de Mar feminist collective told the newspaper El Universal.

According to the municipality, the event’s administrator has been removed from her position.

A recent report by the Red Lupa of the Mexican Institute for Human Rights and Democracy found that disappearances in Oaxaca are on the rise, having increased by 81.8% in the last three years. 

The report also revealed that out of the 760 people who disappeared in Oaxaca in 2025, 34.93% were women.

With reports from La Crónica de Hoy, Ciudadanía Express and Reporte Índigo