Police threats in border town not good sign
June 24, 2010 8:43 PM
A report that two Nogales, Ariz., police officers have been threatened for their role in thwarting a drug-smuggling attempt near that border city could be an ominous sign.
Threats against police officers across the border in Mexico have become routine in recent years due to the drug violence there and the crackdown on drug lords by Mexico's government. And at times those threats result in actual violence, including torture and murder.
In fact, a deputy police chief and his bodyguard were shot to death by gunmen in March in Nogales, Mexico, which lies just across the border from the Arizona city of the same name.
But that kind of violence against law enforcement officers has not spilled over to the American side of the border, likely out of fear of the kind of response it would generate.
But Nogales, Ariz., Police Chief Jeff Kirkham said Tuesday two of his officers who were off duty when they stopped a vehicle carrying 400 pounds of marijuana have been threatened for their actions.
Whether it is a serious threat or not is unknown, but Kirkham believes it is of enough concern to tell his officers to remain armed when off-duty and to carry a cell phone or radio to call for help if needed.
It is believed this is the first such threat in the border city, and we can only hope that it is just bravado on the part of the drug smugglers.
But if it proves to be more than that, the response against those responsible needs to be swift and decisive so there is no doubt about what those who threaten American law enforcement officers will face.
Threats against police officers across the border in Mexico have become routine in recent years due to the drug violence there and the crackdown on drug lords by Mexico's government. And at times those threats result in actual violence, including torture and murder.
In fact, a deputy police chief and his bodyguard were shot to death by gunmen in March in Nogales, Mexico, which lies just across the border from the Arizona city of the same name.
But that kind of violence against law enforcement officers has not spilled over to the American side of the border, likely out of fear of the kind of response it would generate.
But Nogales, Ariz., Police Chief Jeff Kirkham said Tuesday two of his officers who were off duty when they stopped a vehicle carrying 400 pounds of marijuana have been threatened for their actions.
Whether it is a serious threat or not is unknown, but Kirkham believes it is of enough concern to tell his officers to remain armed when off-duty and to carry a cell phone or radio to call for help if needed.
It is believed this is the first such threat in the border city, and we can only hope that it is just bravado on the part of the drug smugglers.
But if it proves to be more than that, the response against those responsible needs to be swift and decisive so there is no doubt about what those who threaten American law enforcement officers will face.
