Tijuana police force ordered to turn in guns

San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 1/4/07 | Sandra Dibble

[NormsRevenge]

TIJUANA – The city's entire 2,300-member municipal police force has been ordered to turn in its weapons, leaving doubt Thursday about who would be patrolling this city of more than 1.5 million residents.

The surprise directive from Mexico's Defense Secretariat comes a day after President Felipe Calderon ordered Operation Tijuana, a major offensive against organized crime in the city. More than 3,000 soldiers and federal agents are being sent to the city with the aim of tackling the city's crime problems.

Federal officials were expected to conduct ballistics tests on the weapons, apparently to see if they could link any of the weapons to the many killings that have been attributed to drug cartels.

Dozens of police officers carrying a range of handguns and automatic weapons lined up Thursday at department headquarters on Eighth Street. The Mexican military, which maintains a registry of weapons, routinely checks police weapons, and officers initially thought this was a regular check.

Federal officials have repeatedly said corruption is widespread in Tijuana's department, which is charged with responsible for maintaining public order in the city.

Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon, in a television interview, said that he has ordered the police department to refrain from patrols.

“I can't send them to war without a weapon,” the mayor said.

In the absence of the city officers, the mayor said federal forces will be doing the job of the municipal department.

[NormsRevenge]

check it out.

[NormsRevenge]

1/3/07

3,000 soldiers, federal police to fight drug crime in Mexican border city of Tijuana ^

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761666/posts

[Romanov]

¡Ai chiguagua!

[onyx]

Wow -- what to make of this? Disarming the corrupt police force?

[mylife]

interesting isnt it?

[lndrvr1972]

Instead of taking their guns just look into some background checks. Call me crazy...

[onyx]

Truly. I am encouraged.

[Enterprise]

This bears following. Disarming the whole force!

[NonValueAdded]

Nagin, take note.

[NormsRevenge]

I hope they get some hits on the ballistics tests. some of them folks could have some 'splainin' to do.

[onyx]

I don't know they do background checks, do you? I've always heard there's a lot of nepotism and grea$ed palm$.

[onyx]

No kidding! I've never heard of such a thing!

[onyx]

Exactly right, Norm!
WOW, what a development.

[DuncanWaring]

Probably related:

Calderón tells troops it´ll be long offensive.

[umgud]

Hope the feds they've sent aren't or won't be corrupt also.

[Enterprise]

Over the years there have been various comings and goings of masses of police officers in any given city during cleanups and purges, but I can't recall an entire force being relieved. I wonder if Americans crossing the border down there recently have really understood the danger they put themselves in.

(Maybe New Orleans or Washington D.C. will be next)

[piytar]

...leaving doubt Thursday about who would be patrolling this city of more than 1.5 million residents. ... More than 3,000 soldiers and federal agents are being sent to the city ...

Gee, ya think maybe it's the 3,000 soldiers and feds who will be doing the patrolling? I mean, wow, reporters really are clueless dolts, aren't they? LOL

[onyx]

Me too, umgud, me too.

[RichInOC]

Dozens of police officers carrying a range of handguns and automatic weapons lined up Thursday at department headquarters on Eighth Street....

...right off Revolucion. That must have been a tourist sight to see.