LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Joe Baeza,

            Chief Carlos Maldonado, Laredo Police Department, was recently invited by the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance to join seven other senior law enforcement officials from the Southwest border area for consultations with the Special Investigations unit of the Metropolitan Police Service at New Scotland Yard, London, UK.  All expenses for the consultations were paid by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance administered by the Border Security Center for Research, Education, Training, and Technical Assistance at New Mexico Tech University. 

Chief Maldonado was selected to represent law enforcement agencies from the Texas dealing with border related violent crimes.   The consultations at New Scotland Yard were focused on sharing US and British police methods for dealing with law enforcement problems common to both countries, particularly those involving international and transnational criminal organizations,( such as the Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations). 

 Other participants from the United States included Chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, New Mexico Tech University, and US Bureau of Justice in Washington DC.  The Director of the project, David Williams, who accompanied the US Delegation, said that Chief Maldonado’s contributions to the consultations were particularly valuable because he had unique experience of being the Chief of a border city and previously the Chief of State Police from a border state. As a result of Chief Maldonado’s participation, the Laredo Police Department will be one of the first departments offered specialized training to counter violent crime associated with border drug trafficking.  This training will be provided at no cost to the Laredo Police Department by New Mexico Tech’s Border Security Center using Bureau of Justice Assistance grant funding.