Tourist police' patrol streets in Algodones

LOS ALGODONES, Baja Calif. - As tourists trickled across the border into Algodones Friday afternoon, they passed Oscar Gomez in his new car.

Across the side of the vehicle "TOURIST POLICE" is emblazoned in big-block letters.

Gomez is one of 10 bilingual officers that this border town now has to protect and serve tourists.

"We're here to orientate the American citizens that come, and sometimes we help them with their problems," Gomez said.

Gomez started working as a full-time tourist police officer last month.

Since then, he's fielded price-gouging complaints from tourists, arrested overly-aggressive vendors and called an ambulance for a senior who hadn't taken her medicine.

But most of the time, he's more of a tour guide, he said.

"We show them around. Sometimes they'll have an address and don't know how to get there, so we'll help. Maybe even give them a ride," Gomez said.

Municipal Delegate Ramon Hernandez said he solicited help from the Mexicali mayor, who sent the five police officers and the car from Mexicali during the peak tourist season. The other five officers were already working as police officers in Algodones.

"I saw many people that come here and on many occasions they didn't have police to help them," he said.

Some of the people who work in Algodones also think the tourist police are helpful.

"(The tourist police) really help - sometimes the streets get crowded and they help regulate traffic," said Nicolas Olmedo, a "barker" at the Liquis pharmacy who stands outside of the store trying to lure tourists with quips and jokes. He said the police help to answer people's questions and give them a sense of security, which he said helps business.

"The people feel safer," he said.

He said he has also noted less vendors in the street. He said his mother used to sell yogurt in the street with a shopping cart. To do so, she had to pay municipalities $30 each two months for a permit.

"Many come out into the streets without permits to try to get people in their business," Olmedo said. "That's illegal."

Gomez said it isn't the tourist police's job to regulate street vendors and their permits. There are other inspectors for that. But they do investigate any complaints that tourists have, he said.

Marge Wilks, of Canada, sat outside of a doctor's office in Algodones, waiting on her friends Friday.

She said that, like anywhere, any police presence is a good thing.

"Plus, you're getting all the elderly people down here. They can have more problems as far as taking care of themselves," she said.

Blake Schmidt can be reached at

bschmidt@yumasun.com or 539-6852.