Controversial Mexican female police squad gets makeover

An all-female police squad in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico was recently disbanded after winning more attention for its looks than its crime-fighting talents.

For years, the squad turned heads wherever they went, even grabbing the attention of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a visit in 2013.

But the women say they were often subject to humiliating uniform inspections by superiors. And ultimately they were deemed no more effective at fighting crime.

The unit was scaled down and their uniforms were changed to conform with standard police attire.

But the issue didn't end there.

The former chief in Aguascalientes who launched the idea, Hidalgo Eddy, is now chief in the city of Queretaro. And female officers there this week filed complaints that they are being subject to "attractiveness" tests as part of a special tourist-oriented unit.

Two officers complained to the state's human rights commission, The Guardian reported.

They claimed that superiors were focusing on their personal appearance and weight, rather than their abilities.

"The women said, 'I trained to be a police officer, not a showgirl'," one women's rights activist told the paper.

The department declined comment on the harassment allegations.