Crime, Safety, and the Police

[LukeSkywalker]

I was in La Zona with a wingman Friday last week. Policia presence was light, a couple moto cops ran around.

But there were 2 pickup trucks each carrying 5-6 soldiers in desert-camouflage uniforms. The pick up in front had a guy with his finger on the trigger of a 50-cal machine gun, the big one usually mounted on tanks. They looked very serious. Damn. Scared the shit out of me.

Don't know whom they expect to fight. Must be guys with big weapons. Hate to be near a gun fight with that big mother shooting.

[Baxter Slade]

Question for the group. So far, I guess I've been lucky. I have not had a single interaction with the police. But these stories of gringos stopped and shake downs really makes me believe it's a matter of time. My question. How many of these stories are "legit" searches and how many are shakedowns?

I've read a lot of angst about the rateros and drug pushers. But we also don't like the police presence. So my thought is, if I get stopped and searched "legitimately", I can deal with that. But what percent is legit and what percent of these stops are simply bribes? I'm not sure anyone can answer that. But I'm just thinking we need to accept the reality of police presence. That in itself is not a bad thing but we need to highlight shakedowns and bribes, not just police presence.

My thoughts on this subject. Police in the USA And Mexico can pretty much classify criminals by sight alone. With the main difference being in Mexico they do not need probable cause to stop and search you. So if you look like a normal older gringo sex tourist type and you find yourself being stopped and searched probably 97 per cent chance its going to be an attempted shakedown. Some cops are downright evil who will just steal your money. Others will just be hoping to scare you hoping for a drunk in public violation or make up shit like you need a perscription for that viagra in your pocket.

On the other hand if they since a criminal type, maybe neck tattoo or just hanging in the wrong area. More likely a legit search.

[Dcrist0527]

Question for the group. So far, I guess I've been lucky. I have not had a single interaction with the police. But these stories of gringos stopped and shake downs really makes me believe it's a matter of time. My question. How many of these stories are "legit" searches and how many are shakedowns?

I've read a lot of angst about the rateros and drug pushers. But we also don't like the police presence. So my thought is, if I get stopped and searched "legitimately", I can deal with that. But what percent is legit and what percent of these stops are simply bribes? I'm not sure anyone can answer that. But I'm just thinking we need to accept the reality of police presence. That in itself is not a bad thing but we need to highlight shakedowns and bribes, not just police presence.

[Hargow20]

Nothing really new. Police enforcement tends to go in cycles.

Zona Norte police presence has escalated significantly since January. I was there on Wednesday from 11 PM to 3 AM and I kept seeing a military presence and heavy police presence. Anyone know what the heck is going on a kind of feels like they are hunting for drugs but I keep reading is that gringos keep getting stopped and shake down. Things change when you're not in the states for three months I already miss Japan and Thailand.

[EBoardbuilder]

Zona Norte police presence has escalated significantly since January. I was there on Wednesday from 11 PM to 3 AM and I kept seeing a military presence and heavy police presence. Anyone know what the heck is going on a kind of feels like they are hunting for drugs but I keep reading is that gringos keep getting stopped and shake down. Things change when you're not in the states for three months I already miss Japan and Thailand.

[Travv]

"Tijuana's homeless migrants have long been seen by many locals as a nuisance: bad for business, protagonists of petty crime, drug addicts.

In 2009, Mexican federal law decriminalized the possession of small amounts of heroin, marijuana and other drugs. But Tijuana's city code allows its police to arrest people for consuming drugs in public, as well as things as wide-ranging as "inciting vice" or "bothering people in public. " Tijuana's current police chief, Marco Antonio Sotomayor, says the city arrests homeless migrants for a number of such crimes. "About 70 percent of the people we detain are homeless people who commit minor crimes," he said. . . "We're completely changing our approach. Because it's not about locking people up to keep an area clean. It's about giving them an opportunity to change their lives," he said. . . "The problem of violence can be resolved simply if we resolve the problem of addiction," Sotomayor said. "That's the key."

In March 2015, Tijuana took unprecedented action, evacuating a large encampment in the Tijuana River canal and rounding up homeless across the city, sending more than a thousand of them to drug rehab centers — some against their will. KPBS documented a number of problems with the mass relocation. Some people were reported missing. Not everyone placed in rehab was on drugs. Others were hit by cars while running away from police during raids of the canal. The rehab centers in Tijuana are often the subject of human rights complaints, requiring abstinence and relying on chains, ropes and other tools to restrict the mobility of recovering addicts.

While Tijuana police continue to patrol the canal, so does the Mexican army. "The army is not trained to deal with drug use problems or even deportee attention. It's like using a machete to do a surgery," Arredondo said. "You're using a blunt tool for something that is extremely delicate. " Arredondo said alternatively, the city should offer safe consumption rooms and free methadone to wean users off heroin. "

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/mar/28...less-migrants/

The rateros should be happy they are in Mexico and not Brazil. In Brazil, the police do sweeps periodically to clear out druggies and street criminals at night. In the morning, they send in the garbage trucks to pick up the corpses off the streets from the back alley executions and haul them away.

[ScatManDoo]

Was it only Chicago or all US States and Cities? What years did they ban alcohol in US?

Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.

[GoodSense3]

Was it only Chicago or all US States and Cities? What years did they ban alcohol in US?

Cracking down on the drug cartels and dealers is dangerous for the cops and will not work since the dealers make their money by selling drugs, not by robbing tourists. It is the drug users who rob tourists to get money to buy drugs and it is safe for the local cops to arrest them since they are not organized crime. Prohibition did not work for alcohol and likely will not work for drugs but arresting the users is likely the best way to reduce crime in Mexico. Look at other countries like China and Japan. China had a huge drug problem and they required addicts to get treatment and after that punished them for using, to my recollection.

Offhand, I've seen dealers run off and hide when the local cops drive by so some cops must be cracking down but Tijuana is like Chicago in the 1930's. Prohibiting the sale of alcohol didn't work in Chicago and prohibiting the sale of drugs hasn't worked in Tijuana. Legalizing the sale but prohibiting the purchase of drugs might work if the cops arrested the users / buyers, not the dealers.

[ErosXaphrodite]

What happened after you paid them the $80? Did they take you back to where they picked you up?

There are reports in other sections within last week about getting aggressively searched at the old border drop off, and picked up and searched while simply walking in the alley looking for an americana. Neither guy got robbed, fortunately.

I was picked up by the police 10 months ago while talking to an Americana type chica. First problem in many years. They said I was weaving while walking and talking to all the girls. That was simply not true. I was polite in responding. I would not back down or offer a bribe despite multiple threats of spending the night in a Mexican jail. The police did not back down either. They drove me to an actual zona norte police station where a supposed judge sitting in an office marked judge or magistrate in Spanish (I don't remember) fined me $ 80 US. This sum was more or less negotiated -- after studying my cash. Maybe others would have said "no" even at that point, but if they were going to take it this far and had a night judge in on the game, I did think they might hold me all night. I had things to do the next day.

Not surprisingly, the machinery for printing receipts was out of order.

[Travv]

Cracking down on the drug cartels and dealers is dangerous for the cops and will not work since the dealers make their money by selling drugs, not by robbing tourists. It is the drug users who rob tourists to get money to buy drugs and it is safe for the local cops to arrest them since they are not organized crime. Prohibition did not work for alcohol and likely will not work for drugs but arresting the users is likely the best way to reduce crime in Mexico. Look at other countries like China and Japan. China had a huge drug problem and they required addicts to get treatment and after that punished them for using, to my recollection.

Offhand, I've seen dealers run off and hide when the local cops drive by so some cops must be cracking down but Tijuana is like Chicago in the 1930's. Prohibiting the sale of alcohol didn't work in Chicago and prohibiting the sale of drugs hasn't worked in Tijuana. Legalizing the sale but prohibiting the purchase of drugs might work if the cops arrested the users / buyers, not the dealers.

It is really amazing and disgusting that there is people selling drugs in the open and cops are doing nothing about it. The cops need to crack down on the drug dealers if they hope to reduce crime in Tijuana and Mexico. !!

[Hobby Fan]

There are reports in other sections within last week about getting aggressively searched at the old border drop off, and picked up and searched while simply walking in the alley looking for an americana. Neither guy got robbed, fortunately.

I was picked up by the police 10 months ago while talking to an Americana type chica. First problem in many years. They said I was weaving while walking and talking to all the girls. That was simply not true. I was polite in responding. I would not back down or offer a bribe despite multiple threats of spending the night in a Mexican jail. The police did not back down either. They drove me to an actual zona norte police station where a supposed judge sitting in an office marked judge or magistrate in Spanish (I don't remember) fined me $ 80 US. This sum was more or less negotiated -- after studying my cash. Maybe others would have said "no" even at that point, but if they were going to take it this far and had a night judge in on the game, I did think they might hold me all night. I had things to do the next day.

Not surprisingly, the machinery for printing receipts was out of order.

[MongerHunger]

Lastest information on US family of 4 found dead in Mexico.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...ico/index.html

[Hargow20]

It is really amazing and disgusting that there is people selling drugs in the open and cops are doing nothing about it. The cops need to crack down on the drug dealers if they hope to reduce crime in Tijuana and Mexico. !!

[Travv]

The Mexican tourist hotspot of Cancun is in the grips of a brutal and growing crime wave that threatens to leave it a ghost town. Violence has escalated to such an extent that the murder rate has doubled in the past year. With 169 killings recorded in the first half of last year alone.

Amid a thriving drug trade and widespread extortion, fear is rampant and most of the murders go unsolved, reports news.com. Now, the situation is so dire that its multi-billion dollar tourism industry is under threat. Later on, just before sunset, he found himself in the middle of a crime scene— a man had been gunned down in the sand. Four men had come in through a luxury hotel and attacked the man, who later died in hospital.

There are fears that Cancun is now on the brink of ruin and could face a similar demise as another well known Mexican resort, Acapulco. This was once one of the world's most glamorous locations but is now Mexico's murder capital. Investigators in Acapulco are totally overwhelmed, often visiting 10 murder scenes a day. Troops patrol the city's streets and beaches, extortion and murder are rife and many businesses have been forced to close. There are no foreign tourists in sight, it's simply too dangerous here and the gangsters rule the streets. Local businesswoman Lara explained: "They arrived one day and asked for between 15,000 and 20,000 pesos ($1025-$1367) a month.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/578929...rder-capitals/

The good news here is that Tijuana is apparently safer than Cancun and Acapulco!

Who knows, if the Mexican government loses enough money from tourists leaving, they might implement the solution to the crime problem. Sell shotguns freely (Thank you Joe Biden) to local business owners and homeowners. Soon the extortion and other criminal trades would become too dangerous for criminals once the business owners decided to clean up the area.

[Baxter Slade]

So 911 works in Mexico since 2017:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01...cy-number.html

Does anyone know if cell phones in Mexico always have access to 911 like US phones do? US cell phones can dial 911 even with no SIM card installed, meaning a cell phone in the US does not have to have a cellular plan in order to call 911.

Thats a great question I hope someone comes up with the right answer. I did try to call 078 the Mexican tourist assistance number on my USA Cell phone while in Tijuana. And it did not work.