El Paso Among Safe Border Cities

As the year comes to an end, killings in Juarez are creeping toward 3,000. The most since the drug war exploded three years ago.

But in El Paso, the number of murders is four. A bemusing dynamic mirrored in other border cities.

As the year comes to an end, killings in Juarez are creeping toward the 3-thousand mark. The most since the drug war exploded three years ago.

U.S. law enforcement officials say cartel members understand the rules are very different on this side.

“A respect for law enforcement, a respect for laws, a respect for each other,” said El Paso Police Spokesman Darrel Petry. He credits a lower crime rate in our area to a strong and proven law enforcement and judicial presence on this side of the border.

Even so, he says there are still concerns, “We do recognize that there is illegal narcotics that come into El Paso that is stored here and then redistributed throughout the United States.”

Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West has been very vocal about the potential spill over, “Of course it’s safe to be living here. It’s because law enforcement and the community as well have been really on alert, they’ve been, people are watching, people are seeing and people are reporting, but the minute law enforcement puts its guard down…”.

There’s a dramatic difference the border makes. So far this year, the city of El Paso has had 4 murders. Juarez has had 2,883.

There’s been 7 killings in Brownsville, but media across the border – in Matamoros are intimidated by cartel members, so accurate numbers are hard to get. Laredo’s had 8 homicides.

Media in Nuevo Laredo, Mexican media claim about 40 deaths. Laredo’s media reports closer to 400.

“They don’t want to bring any of their issues over here because of the safety that’s over here,” said West.

“We have the benefit of having so many federal law enforcement offices and agencies that it’s not just a satellite office here,” said Petry.

Petry also credits various community partnerships that help everyone stay focused on the same goal, to keep overall crime down.