Mexico police to get spiritual training

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — The police force in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez will receive spiritual training in an effort to discourage corruption and remind them that a higher power is watching their actions, officials said.

In the "spiritual sensitivity" training, the officers will meditate, pray and hear talks by an evangelical pastor, said Ramon Valdez, a spokesman with Ciudad Juarez police.

"We're doing this to avoid corruption, by reminding them that there is a God watching them," Valdez said last week.

The police force in Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million across from El Paso, Texas, is widely seen as corrupt and inept.

A group of 13 officers chosen at random have already gone through the training, which will be offered to all 1,800 officers, he said.

The officers will work on their spirituality for two hours a day during 13 weeks and then move on to "character training," where they will be reminded of good values and principles they may have lost, Valdez said.

"We are hoping they realize a police officer doesn't have to always be an oppressor and that they can become better human beings and also better police officers," he said.