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MEXIDATA . INFO
Column 071805 Brewer

Monday, July 18, 2005

New Police Chief in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, must

lead a metamorphosis

By Jerry Brewer

Many people believe that Nuevo Laredo’s new Police

Chief, Omar Pimentel Zuñiga [37], faces an incredible if
not impossible task. Too, many undoubtedly think the
Mexican chief’s life expectancy is at issue — this as his
predecessor, Alejandro Dominguez, was shot dead by
unknown killers just hours after taking office.

Western folklore often described the new marshal in

town as a gunslinger recruited for his marksman skills.
A tough guy image and the ability to frighten those who
would potentially challenge the town was the job
description.

In naming a police chief, in this case Nuevo Laredo

native Pimentel, the selection must center on someone
with commitment who believes in and practices such
fundamental values as truth, ethics, justice, peace and
compassion. There must be a dedication towards long-
term results versus quick fixes. He must be a “change
master,” as change is not only mandated but too it is a
necessary quality for serious progress and a
commitment for Nuevo Laredo’s future.

The transition will not be an easy task. It will require

new leadership and management basics. This new chief
will need to be innovative, with proactive strategies,
and he must understand the problems of the city. As
well, he must have the skills to see and effectively
address resistance to change from within the
organization’s internal and external cultures.

The chief must apply the basics of strategic

management, and take an active part in the entire
process to be successful as a transition/change
manager. Overcoming immediate obstacles will require
the relentless and implacable enforcement of the basics
of instilling integrity, innovation, service, commitment
and teamwork.

With narcotics traffickers fighting for control of drug

routes, emptying their automatic weapons on busy
streets in broad daylight, and lawlessness so brazen,
the police of Nuevo Laredo have a monumental task
ahead. Law enforcement in Mexico has previously been
described as “too often” part of the problem rather than
part of the solution, and in Nuevo Laredo killings and
kidnappings happen almost everyday, with robbery
noted as a common crime.

As if there were not enough obstacles staring the new

chief in the face, in the form of ethics and integrity
issues the chief must quickly instill paramount building
blocks of personnel motivation and harmony to achieve
a team-based force capable of providing necessary
services to the public.

There is a serious lack of incentives and a great need

for basic equipment for the officers to effectively uphold
law and order. The lack of incentives has been at the
root of most evil in the form of bribe taking, as well as
providing protection to organized criminals within the
city.

So now can the Nuevo Laredo police force become the

front line of defense for its citizens?

Police organizations throughout the world, including the

U.S., have similar problems when it comes to operating
with limited budgets and tight financial constraints, and
essentially being tasked to provide more services while
operating in a “cutback” environment.

The number of officers that a law enforcement

organization has is not always as important as what
those officers actually do on the street. They must be
carefully and strategically deployed, with many of their
activities directed in lieu of acting at random and in an
indiscriminate manner. This reduces waste in both time
and money, and places officers in areas where they can
be immediately effective and likely to encounter the
most resistance. The potential for catching violators in
the act is greater. And there must be adequate
supervision and accountability on a daily basis over
these proactive patrols.

The City of Laredo, Texas, is a major stakeholder in all

of this, with a vested interest in the success of
Pimentel. This as residents see the lawlessness of their
cross border neighbor spill into their streets.

And it is not just a safety concern and quality of life

issue for all concerned, but also a matter of economics.
One example is that approximately 7,000 commercial
trucks cross their border on a daily basis.

As well, Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores recently

attended a border coalition meeting of Texas sheriffs,
where he echoed the ongoing concern of potential
terrorist attacks in Laredo.

Obviously under the new leadership of Chief Pimentel

the police force must rise to the occasion and take back
their streets and territory from the criminal elements.
This as the world closely watches their every effort to
build and nurture comprehensive strategies for crime
prevention and service delivery.

——————————
Jerry Brewer is Vice President of Criminal Justice International
Associates, a global risk mitigation firm headquartered in
Montgomery, Alabama. He can be reached via e-mail at
Cjiaincusa@aol.com jbrewer@cjiausa.org