As part of his “crusade against corruption,” the Mexican state governor implemented an all-female traffic police force since the general perception is women are more trustworthy than men. The widely advertised initiative is off to a rough start though.

A poll taken by the Mexican federal government found almost 93 percent say traffic police are corrupt and demand cash bribes from drivers stopped for speeding, not wearing seatbelts, or drunk driving. Threats include more expensive tickets as well as impounded cars so drivers usually end up paying the bribe to avoid all the hassles and fines.

As part of his “crusade against corruption,” the Mexican state governor implemented an all-female traffic police force since the general perception is women are more trustworthy than men. The widely advertised initiative is off to a rough start though.

Wearing black and bright orange uniforms, some of these vetted and credentialed women are already working, but not allowed to issue tickets yet, only verbal warnings.

Since local police units are not implementing state-directed anti-corruption safeguards, the governor has suspended any officer’s ability to write tickets in hopes that losing income will force them to comply. Any officer caught in violation could spend 1 to 5 years in jail.

When interviewed, the public seems to agree that corruption is not an issue specific to gender, but rather one of human integrity and one that will have to be solved by supervision and enforcement against corruption.