Like the 2,800 inmates locked up in the
Ask him how long he’s served as the prison warden, and the answer comes quickly: “”Eleven months and 10 days.”” His goal: “”Leave here alive.””
Occupying a senior public service job along
Surviving each workday is an accomplishment. More than 100 municipal employees have been murdered since 2007, among them three director-level officials, the
Interviewing these officials is an otherworldly experience. To reach them, one must get past layers of municipal and federal police armed with automatic rifles.
From his spacious office, Mayor
“”It’s a joke. The law says he has to live in
Everywhere Reyes goes, he takes nearly a dozen bodyguards that comprise a virtual tactical SWAT team.
“”It’s very risky. You need to take a lot of precautions,”” Reyes said.
In mid-March, a severed pig’s head turned up near
De
Wasting no time, de
“”I saw the need to change my situation because of the high risk of my position,”” he said.
Compounding his difficulties, when de
Only this month did de
“”Serving as a public functionary is a high risk occupation,”” he said.
Ortiz, 50, has spent two decades working as a warden in Mexican prisons, mostly near his home in
“”My great advantage is that my family isn’t with me,”” Ortiz said, noting that freed prisoners can’t put pressure on them easily when they are 1,200 miles away by highway.
Among the inmates in the
“”There are people in here who have killed 80, 90 or 100 people,”” Ortiz said.
In the past year, assailants have executed eight prison guards as they moved about the city after or before work, Ortiz said. The gunmen presumably were linked to one of the three major rival street gangs in
Even so, Ortiz said he feels relatively safe working and living at the prison, where federal police equipped with high-powered weapons can come to the rescue if danger arises.
“”Here inside, it is definitely safer than out there,”” Ortiz said, signaling toward the city.