SUNDOG - 2-23-2007 at 11:16 AM
Citizen watchdogs to stop shakedowns
By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 23, 2007
TIJUANA – The idea is simple: Police won't try to extort money from tourists if someone is watching over their shoulder.
That's the premise behind a program being started by a Baja California advisory council to train citizen watchdogs and prevent police shakedowns.
After undergoing background checks and classroom training, volunteers will be given a credential from Baja California's Consejo Ciudadano de
Seguridad Publica. The Consejo is a government-sanctioned citizens advisory council that provides input on public security issues statewide.
Its program is emphasizing tourist assistance because of ongoing allegations of police extortion, but it won't be limited to visitors.
The program's creation is a tacit acknowledgment of the poorly documented problem. Many victims don't report shakedowns because they don't feel it
will make a difference or don't know whom to go to.
Sometimes visitors offer bribes without being pressured, but others feel they're forced to do so. Soon, the volunteers will step in to observe.
“They will hand out a pamphlet with information in English that shows all the person's rights, and they will be a witness to how the officer conducts
himself,” said Alberto Capella, president of the council.
Baja California officials are calling it the “Philadelphia Program” because it has its roots in a citizens watchdog program in the U.S. city. That
program's emphasis isn't police extortion, but it's based on the idea that residents can be the eyes and ears of the community.
Charlie Smith, spokesman with the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, said it appears the leaders of the program are “customizing it to the situation here in
Tijuana, and we are very much looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”
However, it's unclear how often volunteers will be present in tourist sections. As Capella described it, volunteers won't be actively patrolling those
areas. Instead, they'll step into situations as they encounter them in the course of their daily comings and goings.
Capella said 30 people had expressed interest so far in participating in the program. He said they wouldn't wear uniforms or have the authority to do
more than be witnesses.
Luis Javier Algorri, the city's top public security official, said his department is in favor of greater citizen participation. He said the department
has welcomed observers from human-rights groups at checkpoints and the involvement of merchants in a similar program to watch out for tourists.
“We view the program as something positive,” Algorri said.
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Anna Cearley: (619) 542-4595; anna.cearley@uniontrib.com