University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1995 Historical Case Study: San Diego and Tijuana Border Region Relationship with the San Diego Police Department, 1957-1994 Adolfo Gonzales EdD University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Leadership Studies Commons Digital USD Citation Gonzales, Adolfo EdD, "Historical Case Study: San Diego and Tijuana Border Region Relationship with the San Diego Police Department, 1957-1994" (1995). Dissertations. 613. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/613 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HISTORICAL CASE STUDY: SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA BORDER REGION RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT 1957-1994 by Adolfo Gonzales A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education University of San Diego 1995 Dissertation Committee: Patricia A. Lowry, Ph. D., Chair Ray Brandes, Ph. D. Edward Kujawa, Ph. D. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT HISTORICAL CASE STUDY: SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA BORDER REGION RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT 1957-1994 Large numbers of undocumented persons cross through, the hills and canyons along the San Ysidro/Tijuana border region, on a nightly basis. As these helpless victims cross, border bandits and other criminals stalk these people and prey on them like predatory animals. The San Diego Police Department is charged with the responsibility of providing public safety along the United States/Mdxico international border. The purpose of this research was to investigate the circumstances which led to the establishment of the San Diego/Tijuana international border (1846-1848), the role and policy of the San Diego Police Department along the international border, and the relationship of the Mexican law enforcement agencies with the San Diego Police Department < from 1957 to 1994. The study showed that the international border along the San Ysidro/Tijuana border was created following the Mdxican-American War of 1848. The role and responsibility of the San Diego Police Department along the San Ysidro/Tijuana international border grew from 1957 to 1994. In Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1957, San Diego Police officers were conducting juvenile inspections at the border. In 1976, San Diego Police officers were assigned to the Border Alien Robbery Task Force, patrolling the canyons and hills along • the international border disguised as illegal aliens. These officers worked as team members with agents from the U. S. Border Patrol. The working re’ ionships between these officers and Mexican law enforcement officials were limited. As time went-on, the border task force saw different opportunities and different challenges. During the 1980s, the border task force changed their old tactics from working as disguised Mexican aliens to working in full police uniform. In 1990, the border task force began working in a partnership with the Mexican law enforcement task force known as the Beta Group. Officers from both the United States and Mexico developed professional working relationships with each other, improved bi-lateral United States/Mdxico relations, and reduced the number of officer- involved shootings and reported violent crimes along the international border. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Adolfo Gonzales 1995 © All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ........................................................................... List of Tables ...................................................................................... Acknowledgements ........................................................................... Chapter I: Introduction ............................................................... 1 II Parti: Early history of San Diego, San Ysidro/Tijuana Border, and the San Diego Police Department from 1889 to 1957 ............................................................ 19 II Part 2: History of San Diego Police Department, its role and policies along the San Ysidro/Tijuana Border from 1957 to 1994 .............................................................. 96 III: Methodology ............................................................. 198 IV: Summary of the role and responsibility of the San Diego Police Department along the San Ysidro/Tijuana Border Region, 1957-1994 ................................................. 215 V: Conclusions/Recommendations ................................ 241 Bibliography .............................................................................. 265 Appendices ................................................................................ 281 Appendix A Terminology ................................................. 282 Appendix B SDPD Chiefs Of Police, 1889-1994 ................ 286 Appendix C Code of Ethics ................................................ 287 Appendix D Map of Southern Division ............................. 288 Appendix E Border Task Force Teams 1977-1994 ......... 289 Appendix F Letter from Mexican Government ................ 291 Appendix G Radio station license ................................... 292 Appendix H National Guard letter, March 24, 1994 ... 293 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Plate Follows Page I Map of Horton’s Addition 35 II Horton Plaza, Circa 1886 36 III Mexican Customs House, cl887 39 IV William Smythe 40 V Map of San Diego-Tijuana Border 44 VI Tijuana tourist crossing Tijuana River 45 VII Tijuana flood of 1927 45 VIII View of Tijuana from border 46 IX San Diego/Tijuana Border crossing, cl918 47 X San Diego/Tijuana Border crossing, cl922 47 XI San Ysidro Port of Entry, cl925 48 XII United States and Mexico border crossing 49 XIII Map showing second border crossing 51 XIV San Ysidro/Tijuana border, cl969 59 XV Cobblestone Jail, cl870 60 XVI Chief of Police, Joseph Coyne 62 XVII San Diego Police officers in front of Station 67 XVIII Antonio Gonzales, first Chief of Police 69 XIX Officer Jerry Martindale, dispatching 84 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Plate Follows Page XX Officer William Harrison in a “Radio” car 84 XXI Southern Division, Border check, 1960s 96 XXII Sam Edmonds, on motors 111 XXIII First Hispanic officer, Jose Cota 112 XXIV Policewomen candidates 116 XXV Connie Van Patten with other officers 123 XXVI Original Border team, BARF 126 XXVII Border Crime Prevention Unit, BCPU 128 XXVIII Border Crime Intervention Unit, BCIU 137 XXIX BCIU logo 146 XXX U.S. Border Patrol Agent Leo Calderhead 160 XXXI BCIU members talking with Mexican vendors 180 XXXII Boundary marker at border 180 XXXIII Mexican nationals waiting to crossing into U.S. 180 XXXIV High intensive stadium lights at border 180 XXXV San Diego Police Department, 1938 180 XXXVI Crowds watching the Battle of Tijuana 180 XXXVII Border lines close at 9 p.m. 180 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table Number Page 1 Employment of African-Americans and Hispanics 113 2 Percentage of sworn SDPD officers for 1991 125 3 Selected violent crimes along Border, 1984-1988 138 4 Selected violent crimes along border, 1989-1994 148 5 Break down by race, sex, and age of arrest/detention of undocumented persons for 1994 153 6 Beta Group statistics for 1990-1994 159 7 U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, 1958-1994 162 8 Value & size of drug seizures by USBP, 1981-1994 162 9 Apprehensions since start of Gate Keeper, 1994 166 10 United States legal immigration, 1989-1992 167 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This last phase of the doctoral process has been an extremely laborious and challenging. I have been exceptionally fortunate to have had the moral, emotional and professional support of many people-to all of whom I am expressly greatful. A particular thanks to Dr. Patricia Lowry, my committee chairperson, for her guidance, constructive criticism, and scholarly advise throughout these long months. A special thanks to Dr. Ray Brandes, another committee member, for his patience and scholarly support, and a sincere thanks to Dr. Edward Kajuawa, another committee member, for his encouragement and guidance. I consider it a privilege to have had such distinguished and professional scholars on my committee. A special thanks to the San Diego Police Department, its chief, Jerry Sanders, and all its officers, at all ranks, for their cooperation and assistance with this research project. Most of all, I wish to express my love and appreciation to my wife, Rosalia. Her unselfish support and encouragement these last few months was probably the only reason our marriage survived the trauma of a doctoral dissertation. A special thanks and love to my daughters, Melody and Christine,