Tijuana Police to Break Ties With S.D. Authorities

The chief of the Tijuana State Judicial Police said Monday his department will stop cooperating with California police departments because of the hostile way Mexican law enforcement officials were treated in two recent incidents.

In announcing his decision, Chief David Bolanos Camera cited incidents in which four Tijuana municipal officers were arrested after crossing into the United States on Thursday, and three Tijuana state police officers were detained at the border on Friday when they tried to return home with ammunition they had purchased in National City.

Assistant San Diego Police Chief Bob Burgreen, who had not been formally notified of Bolanos’ decision, said he believed it was “made out of frustration with

what appears to be some kind of deterioration in relationships.” But he added that San Diego officials plan to take steps to ease the tension and reinstitute cooperation between law enforcement authorities on both sides of the border.

“I think it calls for discussion, not for slamming doors,” Burgreen said.

Tension between Mexican and American law authorities began to grow Thursday night, when a special border task force composed of San Diego police officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested four Tijuana police officers after the Mexican officers were seen crawling through a fence into the United States. The Mexican officers, who said they were following bandits, were detained overnight and their weapons were confiscated.

A day later, Bolanos said, three Tijuana state officers were detained at the border when they tried to return to Mexico. The officers, returning from a SWAT class conducted by the San Diego police, were stopped because they had purchased 2,000 rounds of ammunition in National City, he said.

They were handcuffed and photographed by U.S. Customs agents before being released, he said.

A spokesman in Los Angeles for the U.S. Customs Service confirmed that the Mexican officers were detained and that at least one was handcuffed when agents suspected a possible “munitions violation.” The spokesman said he had no further details.

Bolanos said both actions violated what Mexican authorities believed were informal working agreements with their American counterparts. He said Mexican agents have been allowed to cross the border during crime investigations and to buy ammunition in the United States without going through formal diplomatic procedure.

“Since they reacted by arresting our people, we’re suspending all the (conveniences) that the U.S. officers used to have in Tijuana,” Bolanos said.

“From now on those agents have to turn to the Mexican consulates to seek permission when they are on official duty in Baja California.

“We resent all of this, and because of it the relationship in good faith no longer exists.”

In the Thursday incident, however, Burgreen said there was no agreement that permits Mexican police to come across the border and pursue criminals.

“There is no informal agreement that allows people in uniform or armed to cross over the border under any circumstances,” said Burgreen. “The only agreements we have is to allow liaison officers to work on both sides of the border.”

Burgreen said the San Diego department already has had a meeting with the Tijuana municipal police chief about the incident Thursday. More meetings may be set up, he said.

“We’ve worked long and hard to establish these relationships,” Burgreen said.

“We’re going to be mending fences, if they need mending. We’re going to be talking to people, people from Mexico, to clarify policies and procedures, if necessary.”

Burgreen said good working relations between American and Mexican law enforcement authorities help speed the return of stolen property and keep watch for criminals wanted by police in both countries. The San Diego department employs two officers who work daily with Tijuana officials, he said.

Bolanos said his decision extends to at least 15 police officers from the Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, the FBI, the San Diego Police Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service who have been allowed entrance to Tijuana and help to save them time and speed up their investigations.

Spokesmen for the Border Patrol and the Customs Service said they were not officially notified of Bolanos’ announcement Monday. No problems working with their Mexican counterparts have been reported, they added.