Mexico City Replaces All Airport Cops After Shootout

Following the June airport shooting deaths of three federal officers, Mexico has taken the drastic step of replacing all 348 security officers at the Mexico City International Airport with federal police. Since the June shooting was perpetrated by three fellow security officers suspected of being involved in cocaine trafficking, just one of whom has been captured, the new federal officers assigned to the airport have been double vetted and passed background checks, the AP reports. They also passed psychological and drug tests, Reuters adds.

The original airport officers were reassigned. Drug cartels are known to use police, cargo companies, and airline personnel to transport drugs, and officers have been killed in the past in retaliation for cracking down on trafficking, CBS News notes. (More Mexico City stories.)