Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla announced the replacement of top officials in Michoacán's Public Security Secretariat this Sunday. José Antonio Cruz Medina assumes the role of new secretary, replacing Juan Carlos Oseguera, to strengthen coordination with federal agencies in the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice. Ramsés Adalid Vega Sayabedra takes over as subsecretary of Police Operations.
The changes in Michoacán's Public Security Secretariat (SSP) occur amid persistent insecurity and days after the start of the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice. Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla announced on social media the appointment of José Antonio Cruz Medina as the new secretary, replacing Juan Carlos Oseguera, who had led for a year and a half. Cruz Medina, recently vice fiscal for Intelligence and Criminal Investigation at the State General Prosecutor's Office (FGE) in Michoacán, is a career police officer with extensive experience in intelligence, investigation, and police operations. He has held key positions in the state SSP, FGE, National Guard, and the now-defunct Federal Police, and maintains ties to Omar García Harfuch, federal Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection.
The state government justified the change to 'improve the operational strategy and coordination with federal agencies involved in the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice.' Cruz Medina has participated in high-impact investigations, such as detentions of priority targets in the Federal Police, and has taught public security courses.
For the Subsecretariat of Police Operations, Ramsés Adalid Vega Sayabedra advances from Director General of the Auxiliary Police, replacing José Ortega Silva. A law graduate with seven years of active service in the Mexican Army, Vega Sayabedra has experience in intelligence, police discipline, and military training. He has served as an instructor in security academies and coordinator of strategic programs.
These adjustments come two weeks after the assassination of Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, mayor of Uruapan, and that of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, a lime growers' leader, on October 20. Both killings sparked intense protests, including incursions into government offices. Additionally, the commander of the Sixteenth Naval Military Zone was replaced, with Camerino Roa Vidal taking over in Lázaro Cárdenas.
Oseguera Cortés had assumed in June 2024 amid police protests over salaries and dismissals, and recently claimed federal backing after meeting with García Harfuch.