Citizens of Juárez, Mexico, have a new way to fight narco-terrorism — an anonymous tip line courtesy of Crime Stoppers International.
The initiative is the latest attempt to curb violence in the border city, which has become so volatile that the U.S. Consulate in Juárez last week issued a warden message warning U.S. citizens to refrain from nonessential travel to the area, noting that more than 2,300 homicides have occurred in the area in 2009 alone. Kidnapping, extortion and other crimes also are on the rise, and increasingly organized crime is targeting family members and children of those involved in the struggle.
As I previously suggested in a Houston Chronicle op-ed last spring, one avenue through which to combat narco-terrorism is a confidential tip line. Juárez is the first city to offer such a service in Mexico and Latin America, launching its Crime Stoppers initiative on Dec. 10. Citizens of the city are not strangers to the program; in Juárez’s sister city El Paso, Crime Stoppers has been active since 1978.
Though local officials seem optimistic about the tip line, reactions from locals have been mixed. Distrust of local authorities may contribute to skepticism for some people, but the outside help gives others hope — no small feat in a city that saw 17 deaths just one day before Crime Stoppers’ official debut.
But for the tip line to work, citizens must feel confident their calls will be kept confidential. Impartial intelligence analysis is also essential, as well as corruption-free investigation and enforcement by law enforcement. Success will depend upon collaboration between the public and the police, with the effectiveness of the effort reflecting the strength of each link in the chain.
As the citizens of Juárez gain confidence in Crime Stoppers, I predict the results will improve exponentially.
UPDATE, Feb. 17, 2010: The tipline now has a new phone number. When calling from Juarez, the number to dial is 01-800-220-8477. The calls are not being answered in Juárez to enhance the security of callers.
Joan Neuhaus Schaan is the fellow in homeland security and terrorism at the Baker Institute. Since late 2004, she has served as the executive director of the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council. Since 2007 she has served on the Board of Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.