Crime, Safety, and the Police

[Captain Solo]

You have lots of good, current intels for bar, street, escort girls.

Looking forward to your posts here.

[ILoveTijuana]

I'm back on ISG! I have no idea what my original username was when we first met but I like my new name anyway. I got to find the trip reports thread.

To whom it may concern.

I am reporting multiple recent incidents in which alleged Tijuana police officers are stopping, intimidating, and robbing tourists near border crossings..

[Captain Solo]

[Deleted by Admin]

Here are my suggestions:

1. Policia posts on Ped East at the overpass pedestrian bridge, start of the rail. Try to avoid it. If you have to walk past policia, walk straight at normal pace. Don't look at them like you are guilty.

2. Cross back during busy hours. After midnight you will be the easy lone target.

3. Pay $10 to the Mexican van, when available, and get dropped off at the US gate, bypassing check point.

4. Policia has been searching shoes and socks. Keep money in your underwear. Policia is legally not allowed to search your crotch. That's sexual assault; you can sue them to Mexico's Supreme Court. Keep a few small bills in your wallet for their reward.

5. Have HK drivers drive you across border; would cost money.

[RealSexyPanda]

To whom it may concern.

I am reporting multiple recent incidents in which alleged Tijuana police officers are stopping, intimidating, and robbing tourists near border crossings...

Solo,

You have any advice in all your experience how to deal with this?

I always make it a point to hide some emergency cash to get back to la linea in a cab.

[Captain Solo]

To whom it may concern.

I am reporting multiple recent incidents in which alleged Tijuana police officers are stopping, intimidating, and robbing tourists near border crossings.

These reports come from trusted friends and show a clear pattern:

Groups of 3 officers.

Stops near border entrances.

Searches without clear cause.

Cash theft or extortion.

Recent examples:

Otay Mesa (March 19,2026): three officers demanded money for allegedly entering the wrong lane. $300 USD was paid to be released.

San Ysidro (March 21,2026): stopped at the entrance, detained, and $150 USD was taken.

San Ysidro (April 2, 2026): stopped while walking to cross, searched, and $200 USD taken from wallet.

These incidents appear to be part of a systematic pattern of policia abuse near the border.

I respectfully request:

Immediate investigation.

Review of surveillance footage.

Internal affairs involvement.

Action to protect visitors and residents.

Tijuana is a city full of good people — these actions harm its reputation, tourism, and economy.

Thank you,

(Your Name).

Followings are emails of Tijuana's mayor, Chamber of Commerce and La Zeta. Let's all file complaints and follow up to verify any actions and improvements:

Mayor:

consulta@implantijuana.gob.mx

Chamber of Commerce:

directorgral@canacotijuana.com

administracion@canacotijuana.com

affiliation@canacotijuana.com

president@canacotijuana.com

comunicacion@canacotijuana.com

GENERAL MANAGERS.

Seeésar René Blanco Villalóand reneb@zetatijuana.com.

Adela Navarro Bello adela@zetatijuana.com.

ZETA GENERAL INFORMATION EDITOR:

Rosario Mosso Castro chayamosso@hotmail.com.

EDITOR OF THE NEWSROOM:

Gabriela Olivares Torres gabyo21@gmail.com.

WEB EDITOR ZETATIJUANA.COM:

Patricia Tamayo Meléndez ptamayo@zetatijuana.com.

Ernesto Eslava theíaz ernestoeslava@hotmail.com.

Carlos Álvarez Acevedo carlosalvarezmexico@gmail.com.

[The Cane]

I agree and I'm not familiar with body cameras but from what I understand is the police need to turn them on so what I worry about is that they are not turned on when they are doing something illegal.

Just like in the States when the body cameras too often seem to be turned off or "not working" during the critical moments when something was going down.

[Baxter Slade]

Thanks Sol for the updated info on the app. While I have had the app on my phone for years I have never used it for an emergency. I have mentioned before that the button has been accidently pushed. Within seconds I have been called back. There was a language barrier so I just handed it to the GF and she explained it was an accident and that was the end of it. Hopefully the current changes make it better for an English speaking tourist. I did go to reload the app and it told me it was already installed, but did prompt me to update my info.

Actually I discovered I also have the boton morado on my phone which I need to delete. That one is for dealing with issues regarding women. In the past I have heard of people getting jacked up by the cops and using the wrong button and when realizing its not a women it was like get the f out of here.

So as far as getting robbed by the police, I have noticed changes as far as officials in the govt. Wanting to help. Of course if you don't have all the facts you will get nowhere. If you are robbed and can provide the time it occurred, location, brief description and most important the car # you can get satisfaction. I have actually had money returned to me on the 2 times I have been robbed.

[Sol12]

They should be on 24/7 or at least while worn.

It's sad that the corruption has gotten as bad as it has and is still going on in 2026. So many of my friends refuse to go to mexico anymore due to being robbed by unscroupulous police. I myself have only fallen victim to their theft only once in 18 years of going but that's because after the first time I learned what I need to do to be as careful as I can be. If they are going to steal they are going to steal and there isn't much that can be done to stop that.

I imagine that's part of why tourism to Tijuana is lacking numbers. When you have to worry about being robbed by the very people who are supposed to protect and serve it's disheartening.

We can all be negative about anything and say it won't work but at least they are trying. I have read stories on these boards or from friends for many years. In over 30 years of visiting Tijuana and a lot of that time spent living there I never had a bad experience with the police.

Also as I mentioned before is how much tourists just throw money at officers to get out of a situation so that doesn't help the rest of us. Many US citizens have no idea how to act in other countries especially when you add in drinking.

Even if the officers have cameras and you don't feel comfortable you can still supposedly use the App to contact an English speaker who can send a English speaking officer to help with the situation.

[Captain Solo]

Policia just turn them off when they rob you.

[Daytonamonger]

They should be on 24/7 or at least while worn.

It's sad that the corruption has gotten as bad as it has and is still going on in 2026. So many of my friends refuse to go to mexico anymore due to being robbed by unscroupulous police. I myself have only fallen victim to their theft only once in 18 years of going but that's because after the first time I learned what I need to do to be as careful as I can be. If they are going to steal they are going to steal and there isn't much that can be done to stop that.

I imagine that's part of why tourism to Tijuana is lacking numbers. When you have to worry about being robbed by the very people who are supposed to protect and serve it's disheartening.

I agree and I'm not familiar with body cameras but from what I understand is the police need to turn them on so what I worry about is that they are not turned on when they are doing something illegal.

The best thing as a tourist is to be as informed as possible which is why I give this information and talked about the App. The government can only do so much to prevent it from happening and the public at some point needs to use these tools. The corruption will not stop overnight but unless people stand up more to it it will never end.

One thing I have been impressed with is the amount of tools and public awareness they are giving to really fight back against these corrupt police officers.

[Sol12]

This is a step in the right direction. I just hope the body cameras will work 100% of the time.

I agree and I'm not familiar with body cameras but from what I understand is the police need to turn them on so what I worry about is that they are not turned on when they are doing something illegal.

The best thing as a tourist is to be as informed as possible which is why I give this information and talked about the App. The government can only do so much to prevent it from happening and the public at some point needs to use these tools. The corruption will not stop overnight but unless people stand up more to it it will never end.

One thing I have been impressed with is the amount of tools and public awareness they are giving to really fight back against these corrupt police officers.

[Daytonamonger]

This is a step in the right direction. I just hope the body cameras will work 100% of the time.

So with Semana Santa (Easter week) beginning I figured to update what the city has been doing to make tourists and residents feel safer.

A month or so ago the city received a number of new police vehicles and now all police cars are supposed to have cameras on them.

Earlier this month they began equipping police officers with body cameras and they were going through training on how to use them, which is supposed to be completed this week so if anyone encounters a police officer they should have a body camera and it turned on.

The last thing is last week the Mayor even along with the US Consulate in Tijuana representative rolled outa new update to the Botn Emergencia App. This App I have discussed here before and some here have had not so great experiences with it or couldn't get it to work. I had never downloaded loaded it before but did so now just to see how the process works. It was very easy in the App Store, it's available in both Apple and Android, and only requires a few questions and your phone number.

The basic idea for the App is for you to press it when in danger and need some type of police or medical assistance. It only works when you're in Mexico and it obviously needs access to your location so you need to be aware that if your a person that has that service blocked because you don't want others knowing your in Mexico than it can't work. The new update is it being more accessible for English speakers because it will be all in English and gives you access to different local laws in case an officer says you did something illegal and you don't believe him. It has many other benefits and thy even recommend using the App to connect with someone if you think an officer is trying to make you pay a bribe or tries stealing money from you.

I know many people will still be taken advantage of because you just want a quick and easy way out of a situation but that just hurts everyone else and this problem will never go away. So hopefully maybe just download the App and if confront an officer make them aware that you have it and it will likely make them move on to a different target.

Any questions feel free to ask hopefully if I can't answer someone else here might be able to.

The stories are all in Spanish so I won't post links unless someone asks.

[Captain Solo]

Bishop Emanuel Shaleta is posting his long sermon from San Diego County jail. Hehehe.

[Sol12]

So with Semana Santa (Easter week) beginning I figured to update what the city has been doing to make tourists and residents feel safer.

A month or so ago the city received a number of new police vehicles and now all police cars are supposed to have cameras on them.

Earlier this month they began equipping police officers with body cameras and they were going through training on how to use them, which is supposed to be completed this week so if anyone encounters a police officer they should have a body camera and it turned on.

The last thing is last week the Mayor even along with the US Consulate in Tijuana representative rolled outa new update to the Botón Emergencia App. This App I have discussed here before and some here have had not so great experiences with it or couldn't get it to work. I had never downloaded loaded it before but did so now just to see how the process works. It was very easy in the App Store, it's available in both Apple and Android, and only requires a few questions and your phone number.

The basic idea for the App is for you to press it when in danger and need some type of police or medical assistance. It only works when you're in Mexico and it obviously needs access to your location so you need to be aware that if your a person that has that service blocked because you don't want others knowing your in Mexico than it can't work. The new update is it being more accessible for English speakers because it will be all in English and gives you access to different local laws in case an officer says you did something illegal and you don't believe him. It has many other benefits and thy even recommend using the App to connect with someone if you think an officer is trying to make you pay a bribe or tries stealing money from you.

I know many people will still be taken advantage of because you just want a quick and easy way out of a situation but that just hurts everyone else and this problem will never go away. So hopefully maybe just download the App and if confront an officer make them aware that you have it and it will likely make them move on to a different target.

Any questions feel free to ask hopefully if I can't answer someone else here might be able to.

The stories are all in Spanish so I won't post links unless someone asks.

[FlapJacK]

Uber usually drops off at the taxi stand, or if insisted, at the foot of pedestrian overpass bridge where policia posts their robbers. Either way you still have to walk through multiple policia checkpoints and face harassment. Uber won't avoid them.

I use Uber for drop-off every time I leave, and I'm always dropped off within about 100 yards or less of the USA Entry, right next to the line of people crossing back into the USA.

Sounds like your buddy needs to pick a better Uber drop-off location and set it correctly in the app. I've never hit any police checkpoints returning that way.