Mexican State's Answer to Police Corruption? Hire Women

Authorities in the State of Mexico believe they have a solution to the problem of rampant corruption amongst traffic police: replace them all with women. But only tall, thin ones. "We get too many short and fat ones," says a local police chief, who has taken on 60 women to work as traffic cops. "We need tall women that render respect when out in the streets." The chief says men listen more calmly and attentively to tall women, and women are generally more trustworthy. "They don't ask for or take bribes," he says, per NPR.

But this new anti-corruption plan isn't going so smoothly. The state won't let the new female force actually issue tickets until local police units adopt anti-corruption safeguards. But the old cops don't really want to adopt anti-corruption safeguards, reports NPR. And tall, thin women may not be so incorruptible after all. One driver says she was stopped by a female officer a few months ago, and was told her car would be impounded if she didn't pay a bribe. "I had to pay her the 200 pesos," she says. "But let me tell you, it's not a pleasant thing to do." (More State of Mexico stories.)