Frontera NorteSur, November 1999

Attorney General Wants Residents' Guns

In a campaign to reduce violence in Cd. Juárez, the Attorney General Arturo González Rascón asked residents to give up the firearms they have in their houses with the promise that there will be no criminal action against them. From October 1998 until this past September, 231 weapons had been seized.

The attorney general said this disarming campaign is to reduce the number of crimes in which firearms are used. According to Public Security, 875 crimes involving guns occurred between October 1998 and September 1999 compared to 122 crimes with knives. Sixty five percent of the murders were with guns.

Complete details of the campaign have not yet been released. However, the attorney general also announced that Cd. Juárez will be receiving the laboratory equipment necessary to perform DNA tests, and that helicopters are going to assist in anti-crime efforts.

He also said that it has been established that drug addiction is directly related to robberies and assaults as the addicts are trying to support their habits.

Additionally, recently implemented surprise raids may help reduce weapon ownerships. According to Alejandro Astudillo Sánchez, assistant attorney general in the North Zone, surprise raids will be implemented in trouble areas of Cd. Juárez in order to expose illegal weapons and thus reduce violence.

"The recent increase in violence has served as evidence of the amount of weapons that are hidden in all over the city; because of this we are forced to undertake actions that will effectively remove illegal arms before grave situations arise," stated Sánchez.

The new operations will begin at a moments' notice in order to allow criminals no time to plan the hiding of illegal weapons.

"We have to understand that some of the events--particularly assassinations--have to do with geography and drug trafficking; and that although not all residents are guilty, the responsible parties are in their colonias," added Chihuahua Attorney General, Arturo González Rascón, justifying the surprise raids.

Drunk Driving Risky Business On The Border

On September 1, El Pasoans witnessed a stiffer DWI law take effect establishing the blood-alcohol limit for legal intoxication as .08 down from .10. El Paso Police Sgt. Al Velarde said that there would be no grace period for offenders.

This change in laws brings the state of Texas $28 million in federal transportation funds, however $41 million will be lost because of a loophole to the new legislation that allows open alcoholic beverage containers in vehicles was not closed up.

Meanwhile, across the border, where a Zero Tolerance plan has been instituted for almost a year, Cd. Juárez police have been saturated with hundreds of persons detained for alcohol consumption. Up to 55 percent of those detained daily are a result of alcohol related offenses, usually public consumption.

The fines for intoxication are typically salary garnishments from one to 20 days of wages and depend on the life circumstances of the offender.

However, in mid September the secretary of housing and welfare presented city council with a proposal for even stiffer fines. According to the proposal, a minimal alcohol level would provoke a fine of 20 days of wages, but a higher level of intoxication would cause the loss of 50 days wages and cancellation of any current driver's license.

Source: El Paso Times, El Norte de la Ciudad Juárez