Crime, Safety, and the Police

[QUOTE=Dogers69;2386887]Not unusual. Also most won't steal your money. If they find drugs or a knife they will then make you pay $$ My first day ever in Tijuana, same story. Van pulls up "get in the van". I've been stopped 4 times.[/QUOTE]I agree with this post that most police will not steal your money. I've been stopped walking more times than I can count in that city and it's always the same. Hands up against the wall, searched me for drugs and weapons then let me go. Never take any money, never asked me for money, never planted dope on me and then said what's this? Lotta myths about Tijuana. Anything can happen but I stopped listening to the storytellers a long time ago. Moe.

You guys that claim that most Tijuana cops will not steal your money, well, are seriously confused. Every single cop in the Zona is out to steal your money! Whether they actually steal your money or not depends on a variety of circumstances. But they most definitely are out to steal money, and they are interested in little else besides stealing. If you are walking down the street, minding your own business and then stopped and searched, do you really think the cops stopped you because they seriously suspect you of having drugs? If you think that, you are probably right and on crack. The one and only reason a cop will stop and search you is because they want to steal your money! If they feel the circumstances permit, they will steal your money. They read your demeanor, count your cash, assess potential witnesses and the chance of being reported and then decide whether it is worth the risk to steal your money. Even if you are found to be breaking the law somehow, and you voluntarily pay a "fine" on the spot, that is still stealing. If they were really interested in fighting the drug trade they would arrest the "cuantos" guys that openly sell rocks on the street. Tijuana cops have absolutely no interest in stopping the drug trade. All they are interested in is stealing your money, and that couldn't be more obvious.

[QUOTE=MemoeNasty;2386963]I agree with this post that most police will not steal your money. I've been stopped walking more times than I can count in that city and it's always the same. Hands up against the wall, searched me for drugs and weapons then let me go. Never take any money, never asked me for money, never planted dope on me and then said what's this? Lotta myths about Tijuana. Anything can happen but I stopped listening to the storytellers a long time ago. Moe.[/QUOTE]I have spent quite a lot of time in Tijuana over the last two years. And I'm going to be increasing that frequency. I have only been stopped once. That was just recently while I was riding in a cab. I suspect I know the reason why but can't confirm. As we were leaving the zona, a very distressed woman just tried getting in the cab. The driver, who was on the phone, just started yelling. Honestly, at first, I was worried it was some set up. She left the cab just as quickly. But three blocks later, the police pulled the cab over.

They spoke to the driver for about 2 seconds then saw me in the back seat. They then lost all interest in the driver. LOL I started to worry because I did have a lot of cash on me. Roughly $200. They asked plenty of questions. It was rapid fire from the 2 police officers. I struggled to keep up as my Spanish is somewhat limited. They asked where I work, how often I visit Tijuana, where I learned Spanish and then asked me to get out. I took everything out of my pockets. Phone, wallet, cash, gum. Placed it on the trunk. While one frisked me, the other searched my belongings. Asked about drugs. He saw how much cash I had and just set it down. Then sent me on my way. Not a dime missing. This was fairly late at night on the way back to Ticuan.

So, really, as frightening as it was in the moment, I have no complaints. They were respectful and professional. Perhaps the most surprising part of this story is that I left HK with $200 still in my pocket. LOL.

[QUOTE=ClamSlammer;2387039]You guys that claim that most Tijuana cops will not steal your money, well, are seriously confused. Every single cop in the Zona is out to steal your money! Whether they actually steal your money or not depends on a variety of circumstances. But they most definitely are out to steal money, and they are interested in little else besides stealing. If you are walking down the street, minding your own business and then stopped and searched, do you really think the cops stopped you because they seriously suspect you of having drugs? If you think that, you are probably right and on crack. The one and only reason a cop will stop and search you is because they want to steal your money! If they feel the circumstances permit, they will steal your money. They read your demeanor, count your cash, assess potential witnesses and the chance of being reported and then decide whether it is worth the risk to steal your money. Even if you are found to be breaking the law somehow, and you voluntarily pay a "fine" on the spot, that is still stealing. If they were really interested in fighting the drug trade they would arrest the "cuantos" guys that openly sell rocks on the street. Tijuana cops have absolutely no interest in stopping the drug trade. All they are interested in is stealing your money, and that couldn't be more obvious.[/QUOTE]"Every Single Cop Will Steal Your Money"? Demonstrably false. But the fear mongering will never stop. So users are left to judge credibility. Making broad statements that every single cop will steal your money does nothing to boost credibility in my book.

Of course everyone should be aware of their situation. And of course there are crooked cops out there. But as I, and another posted stated in the last day or so, we each had a recent interaction without a dime taken. Demonstrably false.

[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2387191]"Every Single Cop Will Steal Your Money"? Demonstrably false. But the fear mongering will never stop. So users are left to judge credibility. Making broad statements that every single cop will steal your money does nothing to boost credibility in my book.

Of course everyone should be aware of their situation. And of course there are crooked cops out there. But as I, and another posted stated in the last day or so, we each had a recent interaction without a dime taken. Demonstrably false.[/QUOTE]Yeah the police never looked in my wallet any of the times. In fact, they told me "hold your wallet". I don't leave cash in pockets. It's generally in napkin under sock. Money will disintegrate if not wrapped in something. With that being said, I don't test the police. I won't talk to girls if I see a policia. If I'm talking to a girl, and policia swings through or military, I walk away. Even standing still looking at your phone is begging the cops to stop you. They do speak to me more politely than american cops, and all spoke English. The 1st encounter scared me, made me angry, kept me out of Mexico for a long time. I don't take limo to HK, because I don't want to be stopped with 200 on me. Some people in taxis have been stopped leaving HK, maybe coming. And then had money taken few months ago people were writing that.

When stopped by policia, know your rights. Don't let them bully you. Ask to see their name, badge and ID number. Record their car number, date time witnesses ect.

Insist you did not break any laws and don't get in their car or truck. If accused of DUI, insist they test you on the spot or you won't go anywhere. Tell them to go ahead and write up their ticket or take you to the judge.

Only pussies are afraid and bribe or let policia steal from them.

[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2387191]"Every Single Cop Will Steal Your Money"? Demonstrably false. But as I, and another posted stated in the last day or so, we each had a recent interaction without a dime taken. Demonstrably false.[/QUOTE]Your naivete is off the scale here. Just because they don't actually steal anything doesn't mean they didn't intend to. So you are saying the cops stopped and searched you because they had probable cause due to you acting very suspiciously? The cops legitimately thought you were in the drug trade due to your actions? There were not 20 other obvious dealers / junkies within a block they could have detained? When mongers riding in cabs / Ubers get pulled over and searched it's because the cops had legit probably cause? LOL.

Bottom line: 100% of the time, with never, ever an exception, if the cops stop and search you while you were doing nothing suspicious, it is because they intend to steal from you!

[QUOTE=Dcrist0527;2387191]"Every Single Cop Will Steal Your Money"? Demonstrably false. But the fear mongering will never stop. So users are left to judge credibility. Making broad statements that every single cop will steal your money does nothing to boost credibility in my book.

Of course everyone should be aware of their situation. And of course there are crooked cops out there. But as I, and another posted stated in the last day or so, we each had a recent interaction without a dime taken. Demonstrably false.[/QUOTE]Police in Tijuana pay a bribe to their superiors to get stationed in a good part of the city. Maybe they pay to get away from the dangerous, high-crime parts, but many of them pay to get stationed where they can steal from tourists. Maybe not all police are crooks, but they paid to be in the zona for a reason.

The Tenderloin district in New York was supposedly named that because police stationed there got enough bribe money to afford to eat tenderloin steak. Same deal in Tijuana.

[QUOTE=ClamSlammer;2387275]Your naivete is off the scale here. Just because they don't actually steal anything doesn't mean they didn't intend to. So you are saying the cops stopped and searched you because they had probable cause due to you acting very suspiciously? The cops legitimately thought you were in the drug trade due to your actions? There were not 20 other obvious dealers / junkies within a block they could have detained? When mongers riding in cabs / Ubers get pulled over and searched it's because the cops had legit probably cause? LOL.

Bottom line: 100% of the time, with never, ever an exception, if the cops stop and search you while you were doing nothing suspicious, it is because they intend to steal from you![/QUOTE]I took exception to your statement that every cop will steal from you. Clearly, that is not true. And it is inflammatory and fear mongering. In my specific case, if they intended to rob me, they had a golden opportunity. They knew I had a large amount of cash. We were on a dark side road in the middle of the night in centro. I can't say definitively why we were stopped. As I mentioned, that crazy woman coming to the cab and getting out was very odd. But, they also appeared to be surprised to see me in the back of the car when they walked up. So. While it was an inconvenience and a bit intimidating, it all ended quick enough, without me losing a dime.

I am not out here saying there aren't crooked police in Tijuana. And yes, the quotas they pay their superiors is well known and well documented. But stating all police WILL rob you serves nothing but to put fear in people. Why wasn't I robbed? Why were we stopped? I don't know. But I do believe speaking to them firmly but with respect helped my cause.

As Captain said, be firm. Don't be a pushover. Demand respect. And because there are crooked cops, I avoid them if at all possible. But I don't fear an interaction and assume that I'll be robbed "without exception".

[QUOTE=Phordphan;2380147]It's not in your face anything, really, it's the simple law of supply and demand. Adam Smith's invisible hand at work. Houses, parking spaces, or coffee. If demand exceeds supply, prices will rise. Price is the method used to allocate scarce resources. The other way would be for some unelected bureaucrat to mandate some price he considered to be "fair. " We've seen how well that's working in Venezuela. But I digress.[/QUOTE]Actually the idea the the market is fair and free is an outdated concept. Let me update you on something that which my college academic advisor collaborated that won a Nobel prize for economics. The concept was Bounded Rationality. His name was James G. March. Furthering the work Richard Thaler also won it in 2017 for his work on limited rationality. That addresses the participants in the market. Furthermore you go on to contradict yourself in your post about the "invisible hand at work" by illustrating the direct effect the government is having on supply and demand in that particular market. It does not matter if the government has entered the market to buy land directly, subsidizing farmers, dumping oil from the strategic reserve or implementing regulations, any intervention means that Adam Smith's invisible hand is being held by the government very visible one. Knocking that theory down like a dick in the dirt.

Those are the actual facts of the situation. And facts a stubborn things. Had opinions not been interjected as if they were facts it would have been a much more informative piece. I park at Otay mesa and walk over. Never a problem. Never a line. This also represents another way to handle market conditions you are not happy with:

"If you girl starts acting up, then you fuck her friend" - Sugerhill Gang.

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2387627]Actually the idea the the market is fair and free is an outdated concept. Let me update you on something that which my college academic advisor collaborated that won a Nobel prize for economics. The concept was Bounded Rationality. His name was James G. March. Furthering the work Richard Thaler also won it in 2017 for his work on limited rationality. That addresses the participants in the market. Furthermore you go on to contradict yourself in your post about the "invisible hand at work" by illustrating the direct effect the government is having on supply and demand in that particular market. It does not matter if the government has entered the market to buy land directly, subsidizing farmers, dumping oil from the strategic reserve or implementing regulations, any intervention means that Adam Smith's invisible hand is being held by the government very visible one. Knocking that theory down like a dick in the dirt.

Those are the actual facts of the situation. And facts a stubborn things. Had opinions not been interjected as if they were facts it would have been a much more informative piece. I park at Otay mesa and walk over. Never a problem. Never a line. This also represents another way to handle market conditions you are not happy with:

"If you girl starts acting up, then you fuck her friend" - Sugerhill Gang.[/QUOTE]Next tell us all about your stable of hos you used to have, Mr. Sugar Daddy. Did nobody talk to you on the other board so you're back here? Guess who's getting ignored here, too?

For the naive true believers in the Tijuana police force, there is a website discussing Policia ripoffs of tourists. It isn't just Clamslammer's opinion on this. "Corrupt Police Scam: Mexico is infamous for its corrupt police, trying to rip off unsuspecting tourists by intimidating them and abusing their power. Most tourists will be happy to pay up after being threatened to be thrown into a Mexican jail.

In the past, police corruption was such a widespread and omnipresent phenomenon in Mexico, that cops even had to pay hundreds of Dollars every week to their chief, in order to be protected against complaints from extorted tourists or locals. They then had to earn that money back, on top of their regular loot, by wringing the tourists even more. . . But beware if you rent a car in the US and drive it across the border, as an American car with US license plates acts like a magnet to corrupt Mexican cops.

TIP: Never hand over your driving license. Make copies before you travel and only hand over the copy. You can them show the original, but don't let the cops get their hands on it, as this will give them leverage to extort money from you in order to give it back.

Split your cash over different wallets or different pockets. If a corrupt police officer asks you how many cash you have on you, you can show him one set of bills and hope it is enough to satisfy his desire for. Never let them notice you have any other money on you, because they won't let you go until they have all the cash you've got. And if you don't have a lot of cash to show, they are more likely to consider you as an uninteresting prey and may even let you go without paying anything. . . ".

[URL]http://tourist-scams.com/tourist-scam-destinations/tijuana/corrupt-police-scam/[/URL]

Naive dude: Flash your roll of cash in front of the Tijuana policia and let us know what happens. Practice your faith in the Tijuana policia and let them know you have a lot of dollars in your wallet! Then get back to the old hands who have visited Tijuana for years and let us know what happens to you!

[QUOTE=KCQuestor;2387329]Police in Tijuana pay a bribe to their superiors to get stationed in a good part of the city. Maybe they pay to get away from the dangerous, high-crime parts, but many of them pay to get stationed where they can steal from tourists. Maybe not all police are crooks, but they paid to be in the zona for a reason.

The Tenderloin district in New York was supposedly named that because police stationed there got enough bribe money to afford to eat tenderloin steak. Same deal in Tijuana.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2387627]Actually the idea the the market is fair and free is an outdated concept. Let me update you on something that which my college academic advisor collaborated that won a Nobel prize for economics. The concept was Bounded Rationality. His name was James G. March. Furthering the work Richard Thaler also won it in 2017 for his work on limited rationality. That addresses the participants in the market. Furthermore you go on to contradict yourself in your post about the "invisible hand at work" by illustrating the direct effect the government is having on supply and demand in that particular market. It does not matter if the government has entered the market to buy land directly, subsidizing farmers, dumping oil from the strategic reserve or implementing regulations, any intervention means that Adam Smith's invisible hand is being held by the government very visible one. Knocking that theory down like a dick in the dirt.[/QUOTE]SubCmdr, your post makes perfect sense for those who are educated in the science of economics and are able understand advanced concepts. Then there are those who think what they learned in high school economics class is the know-all-end-all of economics. They were never educated beyond the basic concepts taught in high school such as supply and demand and the invisible hand. It's like a goldfish in a bowl that is incapable of being aware of a whole other world / universe outside it's bowl. It's easy to identify these high-school economics scholars because they tend to resort to personal attacks after being proven wrong. Perhaps it is wiser to just stick to Zona-related topics here as some members here are not quite as versed in economics as you are.

That being said, park wherever you want and cross whenever and wherever you want. I don't park in the lots on the USA Side so I don't keep track of price increases. But if one lot increases their price, others will follow suit, that is until the prices rise to a point where it is attractive to open a new lot, thus increasing supply and stabilizing prices. Perhaps some day they will build a parking megastructure like there is on the Tijuana side which would hopefully provide mongers a secure, convenient parking location at a reasonable price.

[QUOTE=Travv;2387931]Naive dude: Flash your roll of cash in front of the Tijuana policia and let us know what happens. Practice your faith in the Tijuana policia and let them know you have a lot of dollars in your wallet! Then get back to the old hands who have visited Tijuana for years and let us know what happens to you![/QUOTE]Be glad to let you know, since clearly you missed the posts where I explained it. They looked in my wallet that had $200. What did they do? They handed it back to me. All of it. And sent me on my way. Any other questions?

And I am not waving the blue flag for Tijuana police. There are plenty of corrupt cops. Again, as I said, their mordidas and superiors' bribes are well known and well documented. I'll say it once more and then I'm done repeating myself. My issue is with the statement was that "every" officer "will" rob you. I don't think Clam needs any backup and you do make some valid points. But, the sky isn't falling.

The funny part of this board. People complain that HK is horrible. The police rob everyone at every opportunity. Yet, people continue to come. Tijuana is not hurting for gringos and HK is making quite the profit. I just ask myself, if it is as bad as some portray it, why do people go there? Why do the doom and gloomers still go?

[QUOTE=SubCmdr;2387627]"If you girl starts acting up, then you fuck her friend" - Sugerhill Gang.[/QUOTE]I agree! LOL.