BajaNomad

BCS working for better security

gnukid - 2-15-2009 at 08:58 AM

After reading so many stories about perceived misdeeds by police, I wanted to add some recent experiences which are quite different. I live in La PAz and travel often to Los Barriles, La Ventana and to the North to enjoy the beach, I have found the police have changed their methods dramatically.

There has been a massive effort to make things better, to take derelict cars and people off the road and to check anyone too suspicious. THere are roadblocks often at all intersections which check everyones DL or Reg. If you do not have it you do not pass.

They look for stolen cars and stolen merchandise. In each neighborhood where I live the preventiva come by each day often, going up and down every street. If they see the car is unlocked they come to the door and ask that you please lock up and secure your car, they report car thefts and meet each person one-to-one.

Each day the police arrest derelicts and offer them the chance for rehab, training or to leave for TJ or other parts but they tell the derelicts you can not stay here without improving your life so many bad guys are gone and the people left are the nice people.

We are all feeling better, there is very little crime that we see though I know cars are still being stolen and vandalism occurs, the days are numbered for thieves.

For all those who report bad cops, I think many times its a misunderstanding not neccessarily a bad cop-though I am sure there are a few bad cops who try for money. I live basically on the malecon, I watch the cops stop people, gringos etc... and for the first time I see them give each person a written warning or a ticket-no molestation just basic police work for basic infractions and its making us feel good.

As far as I can tell, BCS is trying really hard to be a great place for everyone and it appears they are far more organized and successful than their USA counterparts-so thanks to all making a great effort.

If you are in Baja and have any concerns I would urge you to meet police, make friends and take their personal numbers and call them and invite them to talk about issues, get involved, participate in the process and watch the result.

La Paz for all its rumored bad cops seems to me to be doing perfectly.

I have no idea about Cabo because I would never go there and I am sure it still has many issues to address being the center of debauchery in Baja.

Good news!

bajadave1 - 2-15-2009 at 09:25 AM

It's about time we had some good news.

I'm in Los Barriles, and we have had a large scale turn over in the Policia dept. perhaps even a little more gringo friendly. I was told that the comandante speaks reasonable english.
new trucks and a visible, frequent patrol, in my area north of town.

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

gnukid - 2-22-2009 at 09:08 AM

My optimism springs eternal, unfortunately false optimism.

In Los Barriles, far out of the center of town these police keep trying to engage people, which seemed like a nice gesture at first, until they showed up with their "new commandante". Cecil and Valdadero had eyes bloodshot red as they tried again to introduce themselves as the new team in town, chuckling. Since we live very far from anyone and the street is a dead end its rare for anyone to come down the street and actually a bit frightening to have the police stopping by outside for no apparent reason except to "cuidar". A nervous a mother of young kids called to me from my palapa to come running, the police were bugging again and they looked wasted.

I ran outside and there see Cecil and Valdadero, chuckling, "esatmos los commandantes nuevos para presentarse, amigo! he he."

I looked into their bloodshot eyes, "te conosco?"

"NO, Estmaos Nuevos Aqui!"

It was at that moment I was struck with fear as I recognized Valdadero and Cecil as the same night shift team Commandante who I met more than once in the night in La Paz at the Centro Transito Polica Municipal at the rescue of gringos when I was called to help friends who were being molested and extorted. The same "commandantes" who robbed and held friends away in the small bariro cells away from the Centro Transito in town on bogus falsified charges demanding the requisite $3000 pesos/person for freedom.

So how is it that the worst of the worst gets promoted to Commandante of a rural village of Los Barriles? How is it that the worst of the worst thieves are continuing their games bugging people in a quiet peaceful neighborhood. WHY? Again! Argh!

[Edited on 2-22-2009 by gnukid]

Bajajack - 2-22-2009 at 09:37 AM

Sorry Kid, but you already know the answer to that.

gnukid

bajadave1 - 2-22-2009 at 11:08 AM

I have not personally had any interaction with the "new" policia, but will remember your warnings.

Dave

:?::?::?:

LB - 2-22-2009 at 11:12 AM

Just when I thought it might be safe to report the drug dealing Neighbours to
the policia here in LB!!!:fire::fire::fire:

Then why are you there!

tortuga - 2-23-2009 at 10:01 AM

I'm not confrontational by nature. However . I too have a place north of Los Barriles. I interacted with the police as well. Don't remember any of them being intoxicated or it being a negative experience. In fact the local police seemed much more cordial than in the past.

What I don't understand is why so many on this board who visit and live there are so negative about Mexico. For me it begs the question : "Why go there, live there, if it's so bad? Gotch ya! It's NOT!
We have always had a fairly positive experience there.
So I would say this. I'm going to have hope for Mexico.
Sincerly I hope that all who travel and live there have a positive experience as well.
Saludos, Tortuga

gnukid - 2-24-2009 at 03:49 PM

Hey all,

I really do believe that in general things are much better all around for us in BCS, in La Paz and through the south. Everywhere I go the police are being open, communicative and positive. But I wanted to point out that one positive step for La Paz-the removal of the night shift commandante Valdadero ended up the worse for LB. BTW he just arrived and has been there for about a week or so. I know him personally as I have been in situations where people were taken by police and extorted and he was in charge, but he is very good at being sheepish and gosh oh golly gee I can't do anything about it I am only the commandante... and by the way on occasion the military was there too and they stood there as the police extorted money for charges so fake and absurd they could not be possible-for example you recall they said one guy had drank 300 hundred beers in about 2 hours and he his bill was $1200/US of course that's not possible, but Valdedero was sure insistant that HE had to be paid the $1200/us.

Anyway, I would suspect that he will have a hard time changing his ways, once a nad cop alwaysa bad cop, even if he wants to so I would expect him to be part of some fiasco on a regular basis and likely more extortion so I hope that some of you might be forewarned and do not pay him, ask around with the diputados and the larger well known families if they might put some pressure to reassign these guys elsewhere, like Cerralvo island.

I was pretty mad when I saw Him and the others hanging out in front of the house and knocking on the door to say everyday nonchalantly, likely scoping out robbery targets, when my friends have their young kids playing and we know there are kidnappings and I know Valdadero is behind the extortion.

Pls I hope some of you might be a little interested in getting involved in meeting these guys and getting to know them before they play their nonsense money generating games which play on Gringos-its bad for everyone and they do not deserve to be able to continue without being confronted here and directly to their faces which I at least will do. I guess I was pretty angry when I saw him smiling in front of the house, again, wasted, and acting all nice. I had a hard time holding back but the children were there. Let's see what games he tries...

If you do run into Valdadero do not fall for his nice guy tactic he is a leader of nonsense throughout a corrupt bunch of bad guys and has no place anywhere in the police dept.

gnukid - 2-26-2009 at 10:36 AM

Unfortunately today I have received a number of reports of the "new" LB cops asking and getting mordida for various non-offenses. One case where they stopped a kid on a quad on a dirt road and made him pay US$200 for not having a license and another where they accused a guy for being drunk and demanded $10,000 pesos - he paid $4000 even though he was driving fine and on his way and there's more.

Reminder this is happening on quiet little dirt roads in a sleepy nice community where few problems exist until now.

I get the impression some people don't seem to have the guts to just say "no moleste" to their shenanigans, or that it's funny and part of the fun and some gringos just deserve it.

To me its very irritating. When people pay mordida because it hurts everyone. No one should ever pay mordida. Please do not pay these thieves. If you pay them you are fueling their criminal activity, their drug addictions, and hurting everyone? If you do not stand up to them you are encouraging them.

I can predict that many of you passing through LB will meet Valdadero, Juan Luis, Cecil and their gang and they will be increasing their crime wave... which is now 2 weeks in progress.

LB - 2-26-2009 at 10:45 AM

Do we tell them we will follow them to the police station and see a judge? As we
would in LA Paz or Cabo? Just refusing does not seem like a safe alternative
all the time.
:?:

Trex - 2-26-2009 at 12:15 PM

"Why go there, live there, if it's so bad? Gotch ya!

This type of a reply makes me sick.

A person invests hundreds of thousands of dollars and many years of hard work to create a life and when a bad element enters you should keep your mouth shut and hide in your shell.

Tortuga; come out of your shell and learn to face the bad elements of life head on in your community. If you don't, chances are they will be knocking at your door next.

CaboRon - 2-26-2009 at 04:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajajack
Sorry Kid, but you already know the answer to that.


Rotten To The Core ........

gnukid - 2-26-2009 at 09:00 PM

Yes you stand your ground and say give me a ticket. Just be clam, there is nothing wrong with breaking the law, if you do you can pay the fine to the court not to the cop. Its the law. The cost will be low and a trip to La Paz is worth the effort or if you don't want to go you can send someone else with the ticket.

The truth is you must by law receive a ticket and pay to the gobierno not to the individual cop. Would you pay a cop in the street in the US, that's the law, you pay the court always. When you pay to a cop its just a crime that you are complicit in committing. Please do not ever ever ever pay mordida, instead be patient, do not pay and know that by the next morning things will pass. If you need, call the police at 066 and report the location and that you are being molested and name the cop.

pregunta

BFS - 2-27-2009 at 04:37 AM

Ok, lets say you are on the way to the airport (made the mistake of having a scrumptious seafood lunch at that cool restaurant overlooking the malecon) and have about one hour leeway before check in. You are very content with yet another great Baja meal yet a bit sad to be leaving and the dreaded quad policia flag you over. You play the game for awhile, but the clock is ticking. You have to still drop off the car at the storage place, lock everything up, pay the rent and get a lift to the airport. The policia is about 15 years old. The clock is still ticking.
Que haces?

Aq

Pescador - 2-27-2009 at 06:56 AM

Boy it is truly a wacky world. I figured that there was only a snowball in Hell's chance that I would ever agree with gnukid on anything, but with this thread I find myself in pretty close agreement.
Things are changing in BCS and not only is there a new direction taking place with police, but the other areas of law and order seem to be taking a new direction. Gringos and locals alike were pretty much of the opinion that it was very easy to slide under the radar screen of observation and enforcement. When questioning a local friend of mine about what he paid for his property on taxes, he got a sheepish look and reported that most people did not pay until such time as they sold the property or something happened to bring that property to the attention of the officials. Many locals that I know were paying property taxes for unimproved land because they never expected a visit from an assessor, but this year they found out the Catastro's office had installed a new Google Search and they could look up the property and see what was built on it from the computer. Needless to say, a lot of property taxes went up significantly this year. We noticed the same thing with vehicles which were so far out of registration that you wondered if anyone really knew who the owner really was.
So, it seems, that BCS is jumping into the more modern enforcement issues. I wonder how far away a game warden is who could actually enforce licenses and limits?

gnukid - 2-27-2009 at 08:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by aqbluegreen
Ok, lets say you are on the way to the airport (made the mistake of having a scrumptious seafood lunch at that cool restaurant overlooking the malecon) and have about one hour leeway before check in. You are very content with yet another great Baja meal yet a bit sad to be leaving and the dreaded quad policia flag you over. You play the game for awhile, but the clock is ticking. You have to still drop off the car at the storage place, lock everything up, pay the rent and get a lift to the airport. The policia is about 15 years old. The clock is still ticking.
Que haces?

Aq


The 15 year old cop isn't 15 he is 23 but looks young and is a very nice person. He is likely asking you a question, you should try to answer the question and make nice conversation and say a bunch of things about how you enjoyed your stay and ask him his name (memorize his name and use it repeatedly in the conversation) and tell him yours, tell him your other friends names, what his favorite part of La Paz is and how many people are in his family, does he have a girlfriend, could he possibly make time to meet a daughter of yours on the next trip, could he give you his number and you will call, have a nice a day.

They are only going to bug you if you act scared and lead yourself into the problem. If you really made a mistake and went through a stop sign and all else fails tell him to give you a ticket and meet you directly at the station and he will, you should be able to complete the steps in 15 minutes and get your license back without any delay at all. That would be the correct thing to do by law.