Police presence in Mérida is highly visible with elements from federal, state and local levels. The most commonly encountered are the municipal police and in the downtown core there are also plenty of tourist police. In contrast to their two North American neighbours the Mérida police are on the whole pretty friendly and helpful. Unlike most of Mexico the local cops ride around in regular cruisers as opposed to the iconic F-150 which is a staple pretty much everywhere else. There are also quite a few motorcycle cops.

The state cops almost always ride around in F-150s and look to be more heavily armed than their city counterparts. The Federal police take this up a notch and look like they are prepared to march into battle at a moments notice. The Feds share a lot in common with their opposite numbers in the United States.

A curious feature of Mexico in contrast to most other countries is that police cars routinely have their red and blue lights permanently flashing. This does not signify an emergency but rather that they are on duty. For an emergency the sirens would sound in addition to the lights.