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Kenito
Site Admin
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:30 am
Posts: 648
Location: Rosarito, Baja California, MX
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 Seems like the wrong category! Meeting a Tijuana Cop. Ken notes: I have heard of several such stories about encounters with the police in Tijuana and Rosarito recently. I decided to reprint this one....
A Wild Ride With Tijuana Police
This past week a good friend to so many of us who live in Rosarito, Enrique Zavala, passed away. You may remember his bright smile from a profile done on him in the Baja Times several months ago.
There were ten of us, most from the Rosarito Writers Workshop, piled into two cars to go to the viewing May 22 at 6 PM at the Gayosso Funeral Parlor.
The address was MapQuested and Googled, directions printed and off we went to Tijuana, I’m in the lead, another car behind. The directions are perfect - we arrive at the street as planned. But no funeral parlor. We drive up and down, the clock is ticking and we’re very lost.
We stop a young woman who kindly advises us there is another street of the same name completely the other side of Tijuana but no one knows how to get there. Our cell phones cut in and out because of proximity to the border, we can’t get through for more directions and when we finally do, we can’t hear. We decide to pay a taxi to lead us there, but of course, none are in sight.
Nearing the north end of Costco heading toward Los Heroes, two motorcycle policemen are stopped with some pedestrian. I pull over to see if they can help. Running through my mind is the nasty stereotype of bad Mexican police, but I’m willing to take my chances. As I approach, the one on the phone stops his conversation and looks at me inquiringly. Since I can get by in Spanish, I explain we are lost, we must go to the Gayosso Funeral Parlor and we have been driving all over town ending up on the right street name but in the wrong place.
The policeman smiles and signals me with index finger and thumb indicating to please wait just a tiny bit. Clutching my paper with the name of the place and the address I sign back, no problem.
Melinda Bates, a friend and fluent in Spanish, gets out of the second car to join me. We are two pleasant ladies, clearly Gringas , nicely dressed but obviously stressed.
The policeman comes over, studies the paper with name and address I’m wringing in my hands, hands it back to me and gets back on the phone, again signaling to wait a minute or two.
A third policeman almost immediately arrives on motorcycle, is shown the address and nods his head. We are told to follow him and he’ll take us there as it’s a bit complicated to give directions from where we are. I tell them both “thank you, thank you!” with great relief and Melinda says something quietly that I don’t catch.
The last motorcycle policeman very politely waits until we are back in our cars and waves to follow him. On come a full complement of flashing lights and we have a police escort across town. He drives carefully to make sure we stay behind and goes at an easy pace so we can keep up. As he pulls into a side street he points to the building we’re looking for, stops his motorcycle in front of us in the middle of the street, and comes over to make sure we understand we are now at the right place.
We arrive so little late, by Mexican time we are almost early.
As I roll down my window he shakes my hand gently patting it at the same time. I find myself thanking him in Spanish, English, whatever, all together, I’m so relieved. I get a crisp salute and he’s off. Later, Melinda told me she had whispered in his ear “We appreciate your helping, she just lost her sweetheart. It’s his funeral we’re going to.”
Thank you Tijuana police for having such excellent men on your force! All of us were impressed by the polite, helpful and gracious assistance we were given. I think it is a great tribute to the work both the Mayors of Tijuana and Rosarito have done to improve the attitude of their police.
We witnessed firsthand their kind excellence in handling this simple event. Fighting crime is important, but the help and assistance to citizens and visitors is also important and goes a long way to dispel the bad reputation world media had given Mexican police in the past.
If there is a life hereafter, or knowledge from the other side, I’m sure Enrique was laughing about the ride we had to his viewing. I know our motorcycle escort through Tijuana was something he would have dearly enjoyed.
I deleted the author's name... but she is a Rosarito resident.
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