Mayor de la Garza reports crime drop and city improvements
Monterrey’s mayor, Adrián de la Garza Santos, delivered his second government report in an event attended by former Mexican presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, along with leaders from the PAN and PRI parties, ex-governors, lawmakers, and business figures. Among the guests were Xóchitl Gálvez, the former presidential candidate, and prominent entrepreneurs Claudio X. González and Liliana Melo.
Security and crime reduction
The mayor highlighted his administration’s focus on security, detailing an expansion of surveillance infrastructure. Monterrey now operates a network of active cameras, monitoring points, and fiber optics to support police operations. Additional tools include tótems and virtual panic buttons connected to the municipal intelligence center. The administration also implemented security chats, which have aggregated more than 32,000 individuals into a digital network for real-time communication and alerts.
De la Garza claimed crime rates have dropped by 25 percent and homicides by 6 percent under his tenure. He attributed the decline to closer coordination between Monterrey and neighboring municipalities, as well as state-level security agencies. The city has also adopted a C5 intelligence model, the first of its kind in Mexico, with two new C4 control centers planned for the city’s northern and southern zones.
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When De la Garza took office in 2015, the city faced a debt of 3,800 million pesos and just 29,000 pesos in available cash. His administration restructured finances, achieving self-sufficiency last year despite continued federal withholdings. The turnaround included winning the Escoba de Oro award in Madrid for urban cleanliness initiatives, which he tied to broader efforts to engage communities in city planning. He explained that urban intervention programs aim to improve the environment of neighborhoods and strengthen community participation, identifying family needs to channel them into municipal programs.
A call for participatory governance
De la Garza framed his report as a push for “gobernanza participativa,” arguing that Nuevo León’s challenges require shared responsibility between government and citizens. He criticized past approaches for lacking accountability, instead advocating for transparency, family-focused policies, and stronger civic engagement.
The event demonstrated the mayor’s efforts to align with national figures, including Gálvez, whose presence signaled potential cross-party support. However, his calls for unity came as federal funding disputes remained unresolved, leaving the city’s long-term financial stability uncertain.
