Mistake #7: Offering a Police Officer A Bribe

Let’s face it. Bribing in Mexico is a way of life.

I try to look at it from the police officer’s perspective.  Most salaries for the traffic police are around 300 - 500 USD per month. That’s pretty low. So, in order to feed their families, many police officers resort to asking for bribes. However, this is not the case with all. And watch out if one of those stops you.

Just for the record, I don’t condone that you give bribes.  Technically, if you offer a bribe to a police office, your fine could be raised, or your vehicle could even be confiscated. So, you need to be very careful. But I do recognize that this is the norm in Mexico, so you should probably know how do it with the least likelihood of getting in trouble. Just be aware that you do so at your own risk.  

Always wait for the police officer to insinuate the bribe first. He/she will say something like “What should we do about this?” or “What do you suggest we do?” Once you hear this, then you can proceed with caution. But never before.

Also, since this activity could get the police officer in trouble, if you are not discreet with the money exchange, you could tick them off.