BajaNomad - federales in tecate

federales in tecate

cjinca - 4-1-2009 at 09:17 AM

i just posted in q&a and thought this info might be useful to others...

we stayed in tecate last night at the el rosita just south of town. there are probably 30 or so federales staying at hotel and manager said they are about to leave after having been here for the last three months.

there's always someone on post and this morning i saw the whole group circled up - i guess roll call and orders for the day.

crossing the border was without incident.

not sure what to make of the federales. :?:

woody with a view - 4-1-2009 at 11:33 AM

highway cops are your friends. city cops, well, not so much!

shari - 4-1-2009 at 12:04 PM

gee woody...around here it is the opposite...the city cops are usually nice local guys but the feds are another story and to be careful with. The soldiers are your friends...I have been told in case of any problem...flag a soldier down..not a fed.

DENNIS - 4-1-2009 at 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cjinca
not sure what to make of the federales. :?:

They import them from other areas of Mexico to reinforce the local forces. Ten years ago , there was a hotel in the local area of Ensenada that was full of federal fighters....not soldiers or marines but, part of the AGs forces. Every day they would suit up and go out to Valle De Trinidad and fight with the growers. This crapola has been going on for a while.

woody with a view - 4-1-2009 at 12:11 PM

in my experience, the BIG city cops are not my friends. the guys on the hiway have always been friendly. army is just a bunch of kids that are always professional and cool. pueblo cop(s) i have no experience with...

your mileage may vary......

BajaGringo - 4-1-2009 at 12:23 PM

Driving a big SUV with dark windows and Baja plates I get stopped all the time by the federales between Ensenada and San Quintin. They make a quick check of my vehicle, paperwork and every one has been extremely polite.

Maybe I have just been lucky...

nancyinpdx - 4-1-2009 at 01:22 PM

The cops I was really scared of and detested the most in TJ were the ones in the white trucks. They bothered and victimized tons of ppl constantly. What kinda cops are they?

DENNIS - 4-1-2009 at 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nancyinpdx
What kinda cops are they?

If they were wearing a sash across their chest with little round badges of campfires and first aid symbols, they were the secret police. Much feard throughout Latin America.
:lol:

Just kiddin' with you, Nancy. I don't know who they are.

Martyman - 4-1-2009 at 03:45 PM

It is a great day for boy scouting!!

BajaBruno - 4-2-2009 at 10:01 AM

My experience has been the same as Woody's. The Fed Camino cops have usually been professional, well trained, and helpful (there are always exceptions, of course).

The city traffic cops, especially on the mainland side, have always been problematic. I have had no contact with the white truck guys--they glare at me, but have never tried to stop me.

Now, I'll bore you with one of my pet peeves....

One of the confusing issues in Mexico is the multiple layers of law enforcement, many of which are non-overlapping. In the US, a county sheriff does all criminal cases and the highway patrol does all traffic, but each can do the job of the other if the circumstances demand.

This does not seem to be the case in Mexico. Each class of officer has a specific niche, both geographically and in the type of crime s/he can investigate, and they cannot operate outside that limited jurisdiction. This is not only very inefficient, but confusing to the citizen who is trying to find the appropriate official to report a crime.

I would imagine that the federal anti-drug mobilization has blurred those jurisdictional borders a bit, but the problem for the citizen (and visitor) still remains--for any given class of problem (burglarized car, lost child, auto accident, etc.) how does one know which of the many police agencies have the jurisdiction to assist?

toneart - 4-2-2009 at 11:19 AM

The guys in the white pickups are Judiciales. They are plainclothes detectives who investigate crimes. They get transferred around a lot so as to not get "too comfortable" in one location. They can be problamatic. Perhaps these are the ones in Las Barriles (?).

Our local, municipal police in Mulege seem to have a hands off policy with the gringos. I never hear of shake downs or morditas solicited. The Commandante is very cooperative and reaches out to the gringo community. I saw him in civilian clothes the other day, painting the red curbs himself. They are really broke. For about five weeks the electricity was shut off in the police station because the bill hadn't been paid.

Also, The Rotary Club is so active with charitable activities that the locals seem to really appreciate the larger gringo community, and tourists too.

I do know of one woman who parked illegally in a narrow alley right next to the corner. Vehicles could not get by and around the corner. They all had to back up and turn around up the alley where there was a driveway. She was given a ticket and they took her license plates. The police were in the right. She was in the wrong. The fine was $20.00 and the police were polite when she went in to clear it up.

I have seen the Caminos Federales on the highway just doing their jobs. They pull over people who pass in no pass zones, and also speeders. They don't necessarily single out gringos. I have seen mostly Mexican Nationals pulled over. I would imagine they really save some lives.

Some town and city police do trump up violations for the mordita. Tijuana, Catavina and Constitution, come to mind.

Through the years I have always seen the Caminos Federales gathered in that little village, on the left, just a bit down the mountain from Tecate. They use radar and are just waiting for speeders. i say good!

TJ cops in white trucks

nancyinpdx - 4-2-2009 at 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nancyinpdx
The cops I was really scared of and detested the most in TJ were the ones in the white trucks. They bothered and victimized tons of ppl constantly. What kinda cops are they?

Toneart: so they're
Judiciales plain clothes detectives?

They, look like normal cops to me, but they're super scary, many are abusive, lying, corrupt evil thieves and vultures!!! Sometime later I'll tell you some of the things I have experienced and witnessed in TJ. They should be in jail themselves! They scare the guano outta me!

toneart - 4-3-2009 at 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nancyinpdx

Quote:

Nancy,

TJ is a whole different ballgame. I hope you never have to meet any more cops of any kind there. Who knows what kind of cops are driving white pickups there, or if they are really cops? Who knows who they are working for or what their agenda is.

Here in Mulege it is muy tranquillo.

cjinca - 4-3-2009 at 01:04 PM

well, thus far (guerrero negro) NO problems!

had bad experience a few years ago in monterey, coahuila and an attempt in tj a year ago.

we did see two cops in white car getting pulled over by soldiers at roadside checkpoint. :spingrin: