Private security groups in Juárez assisting law enforcement

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Crime and violence south of the border have been notorious for over a decade, especially in the Ciudad Juárez - El Paso borderplex.

Mexican law enforcement at all three levels of government continues its efforts to decrease crime rates and increase safety for all residents in the borderland. Still, they also require assistance from independent and private security groups to combat crime.

ABC-7 spoke with the Private Security Companies Association of Ciudad Juárez (A.E.S.P) about the use of AI to enforce security at businesses and maquiladoras on the border.

The President of A.E.S.P, Gabriel Salazar said thankfully Juárez is not living in the same situation with organized crime and violence as other states across Mexico.

A.E.S.P. began in 2016 as a private group consisting of 16 private security firms on the border that frequently collaborate with the Juárez (SSPM) and Chihuahua (SSPE) Police Departments.

Initially, it started with 12 different businesses and private security groups.

"We need to strengthen and determine the direction public security will take based on artificial intelligence and technology. Through this effort between private initiatives, we can provide more tools to authorities, especially law enforcement, to combat crime, delinquency, and everything that afflicts us as a city and as a border," President Salazar said.

Several private organizations like SECURIPAT have taken a role not only in tracking and overseeing cargo from maquiladoras while conducting imports and exports on the border but also acting as consultants for the industry offering security softwares for companies and controlling what they ship to the U.S. and other countries.

"We are trying to prevent what is happening in other places from happening to us, where crime has even prevented them from organizing." "The implementation of technologies such as artificial intelligence has its pros and cons, but the most important thing is that you have to know how to take advantage of them," President Salazar added.

Former FBI agent and Dallas Police Department Officer, Hector Ruiz was born in Villa Ahumada Chihuahua. Currently, he owns a private security organization called Risk Protective Services which is a polygraph company.

"We have developed a lot of technology in our company because I love technology despite my age, because for many older police officers sometimes it's very difficult to adapt to learning how to investigate the newer crimes because they're crimes that are done through technology, with technology, and if you don't understand technology is going to be challenging for you to solve those crimes," Ruiz said.

Now Ruiz's company is developing a system called probation parole tracker to track sex offenders through technology. They're also developing a system called Cleared Applicant to help them and law enforcement recruit and vet applicants for public safety positions through technology.