The community leader will bring his firsthand experience to a discussion that is currently taking place across the country’s municipalities: what tools do local governments have at their disposal when drug cartels vie for control of the territory?

San Bernardo Mayor Christopher White will participate in SeguridadExpo with a talk titled “Local Authorities Confronting Organized Crime,” scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Metropolitan Santiago.

The presentation addresses a debate currently affecting Chilean municipalities: what powers, resources, and protections local governments have when criminal gangs vie for control of neighborhoods and communities. White brings firsthand experience to this conversation, after the Western Metropolitan District Attorney’s Office notified him last week of a plot to assassinate him, uncovered through wiretaps. His police protection was reinforced, and the municipality announced legal action.

According to available information, the case originated from municipal operations to reclaim the Santa Rosa de Lima and San Esteban housing projects, as well as the removal of cameras installed by gangs to monitor police entry and the demolition of mausoleums linked to drug trafficking. These events prompted widespread statements from the political sphere and from regional and government authorities.

Rodrigo Bastidas, manager of SeguridadExpo, noted that “this situation shows us that the challenge of organized crime cannot be resolved from a single front. The entire security ecosystem, including municipalities, must be prepared, and hearing directly from Mayor White contributes to that conversation.”

SeguridadExpo takes place September 8–10 at Metropolitan Santiago and brings together the public and private security industries, along with authorities, police forces, and municipalities. The fair is organized by FISA, part of the GL events group, and co-organized with the Carabineros de Chile, with sponsorship from Motorola Solutions and Grupo Safeteck. The full program is available at www.seguridadexpo.cl.