ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---Over a period of several weeks police in Baja's five cities will turn over their weapons and undergo a screening process, Rosarito Beach officials said today.

The actions will be taken in different scales in Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada, Rosarito Beach and Tecate, said Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres.

The process began at noon today when the 150 officers of the Rosarito Beach Police Department began turning over their weapons to military personnel, both for testing and to determine if they were legally issued by the military, said Torres.

All officers also will take a four-hour polygraph test and screening in Tecate to determine if they have engaged in any improper activities, Torres said.

That effort will be supervised by Baja's State Preventive Police, headed by Daniel de la Rosa.

While this is being done, an equal number of state and federal police will provide law enforcement for Rosarito, under the direction of the city's new Secretary of Public Safety, Jorge Eduardo Montero, a 41-year-old retired Army captain.

Such efforts have been undertaken periodically by the military, including in Tijuana about a year ago. The military is responsible for issuing all guns to police, but recent concerns with security and crime also prompted the action now, Torres said.  "The governor knows that security is the main issue," Torres said.

In the meantime, Rosarito has launched a number of other actions to make the city more secure and improve the police department.

As  well as bringing in Montero, the new Rosarito administration will raise police salaries 15 percent Jan. 1, offer officers about a $250 monthly performance bonus and add 80 academy-trained officers over the next several months, about 24 as tourist police.

Rosarito also will seek more automatic weapons for city police.

 "Crime is not rampant in Rosarito and we have many fine officers, but we realize that both city security and the quality of the police need to be improved," Torres said. "We believe the state effort in combination with our actions will significantly help achieve those goals."

People who read this article also read these:

• Working towards a safer Rosarito By Cyndi Farfan
• Palacio Del Mar FAQs
• Interest rate cuts fail to stem big market losses
• Rosarito Beach
• About Prubaja

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments