Showboating has long been a salient feature of Mexico’s criminal justice system. When major arrests occur, Mexican police and prosecutors often go into hyperdrive to publicize their law enforcement victory. Reporters are fed headline-grabbing stories of derring-do and splashy photos of the criminals standing alongside captured guns, drugs or big stacks of ill-gotten cash.

This is how Mexican authorities convince the public that they’re winning the crime fight, but don’t confuse it with actual law enforcement or prosecutorial follow-through. The reality is abysmal: only 31 percent of drug busts lead to convictions, and 80 percent of murder cases go unpunished, according to official and academic studies.

via Editorial: Mexico’s much-needed police changes | Dallas Morning News Editorials – Opinion and Commentary for Dallas, Texas – The Dallas Morning News.