Oaxaca Mexico: Deaf Police Officers play critical role in public safety

Members of the newest police force in the colonial city of Oaxaca can’t hear or speak.

A group called the Angels of Silence operates the city’s surveillance cameras to look for crimes being committed on its streets.

Cynthia Zepeda, director of Oaxaca state’s emergency services, said the officers have a highly developed visual sense and are not easily distracted.

“They allow us to notice situations that maybe a person who doesn’t have that disability wouldn’t notice. They read lips and can perceive suspicious movements in people,” Zepeda said.

On a recent afternoon, one of the officers noticed a man acting suspiciously around a woman. When the officer had the surveillance camera close in on the couple he saw the man was passing her a small plastic bag that seemed to contain marijuana. Minutes later a police patrol arrived in the area and detained the man. Read Article