Mexico's police agencies

Mexico's public safety secretary, Genaro Garcia Luna, hopes to reform the nation's long-troubled police. Among other steps, he has consolidated several agencies into a Federal Police force of nearly 25,000:

The Federal Preventive Police: Already expanded to include the former Federal Highway Patrol, it has nearly 19,000 officers on the front lines of the government's war on drug traffickers. The agency also includes customs, airport and border police.

The Federal Investigation Agency: The agency, known by its Spanish abbreviation, AFI, has about 6,000 officers.

SIEDO: The agency, also known as the Specialized Organized-Crime Investigations Unit, would remain part of the federal attorney general's office. With 400 members, this 5-year-old agency is responsible for investigating drug crimes, kidnappings, terrorism and arms trafficking, and is generally respected by U.S. authorities. Six of its officers were held last month on suspicion of leaking data to drug traffickers. Its predecessor, known as FEADS, was shut down in 2003 after a dozen of its officers were held on similar charges.

State and municipal police: All 31 states and the federal district (Mexico City) have their own police forces. Towns and cities do too. All that adds up to a total of 350,000 state and local officers, according to federal figures. The local forces are divided between patrol, or preventive, officers and those who investigate crimes.

Sources: Mexico Public Security Secretariat, news reports