Four mayors in Mexico ask for protection after another mayor was beheaded

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials say four mayors in Mexico have asked federal authorities for protection after a colleague was beheaded last week in the southern state of Guerrero. Mayor Alejandro Arcos had been sworn in less than a week earlier. The requests for protection came from Guerrero and another violence-wracked state, Guanajuato. Gangs and drug cartels in Mexico often target mayors to make demands for extortion payments, government contracts and the appointment of henchmen to municipal police forces. Arcos had told local media that he needed more protection. State and federal governments can offer mayors bulletproof vehicles, extra bodyguards and emergency alert systems.