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Mission among safest cities despite its population boom
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0 Comments ::  :: LOCAL |
Mission boasted the lowest crime rate, compared to nearby cities of similar sizes.
“Our difficult task now,” Police Chief Leo Longoria said "is to maintain this low trend.” “But you know what?” said Lt. Martin Garza, who is also the department’s spokesman. “We say that every year.” And for about a decade, they have managed to keep the crime rate low.
But this year, new challenges loom. Mission’s population explosion Longoria took over the Mission police force about 13 years ago.
Mexico and the United States had just signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the city of fewer than 30,000 still largely depended on citrus farms, as it had for the past 100 years. By 2000, Mission had grown to more than 45,000 people. Now, in 2007, the population is estimated at more than 62,000.
And more houses sprout up each month, particularly on the city’s south side near Sharyland Plantation. Longoria has led the department through it all, working to keep that crime rate low. In 2006, his department logged 2,833 criminal offenses. In contrast, the police departments of Pharr and Edinburg, cities about the same size as Mission, recorded 3,529 and 4,322 offenses, respectively.
Many in the community attribute the low crime rate the police department’s work with young people, particularly in the schools, and to officers walking the streets, chatting with residents and organizing Neighborhood Watch meetings.
Omar Garcia, who runs the Mission chapter of the Boys & Girls Club, said three off-duty police officers volunteered time on Saturday to coach at the group’s football tournament. Meeting those officers and talking with them might one day keep the children away from crime, Garcia said.
“The community itself has come together and gotten a lot stronger than it has been in the past,” he said. “We all work hard to make sure the kids are taken care of.” Now, an international challenge lies ahead.
The bridge challenge
Officials expect more problems and traffic with the projected June 2009 opening of the Anzalduas International Bridge, which will connect Mission to Reynosa.
Police officials from Weslaco to McAllen say they already battle auto thieves stealing cars from their cities and crossing them into Mexico. Hours before the Mission minivan crash, a McAllen police officer suffered a broken pelvis chasing down a trio of auto thieves believed to be working for Mexican drug cartels.
With the prospect of another international bridge — and its attendant public safety challenges — looming on the horizon, Mission police officials already are undertaking preparations to deal with them.
In the meantime, police plan to continue using one of the most effective crime deterrents at their disposal — talking to people.
Longoria praises his officers for these quick responses, for getting out of their cars and talking to people like Dovalina. He praises them for organizing regular Neighborhood Watch meetings. As the city’s population grows, he will work to maintain these practices, he said.
Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor.
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