War in Mexico: The Need for Law Enforcement Flexibility

From the El Paso Times - When shooting started in Juárez across from the University of Texas at El Paso last week, all it took was one call to shut down Paisano Drive. City, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies have the unique ability to communicate with each other during a crisis along the border. They have radios that allow them to patch into a special channel used by all the agencies to collaborate and respond directly to emergencies. That channel helped U.S. authorities react quickly when a gunbattle between Mexican federal police and criminals erupted near the border Aug. 21.
Border Patrol agents and police worked together to shut down a U.S. highway next to the area. The agents alerted police of the danger through a dispatch operator, who explained that gunfire had broken out in a Northwest Juárez neighborhood, directly across from UTEP and the Sunset Heights neighborhood in El Paso.
The agents rushed to Paisano Drive and blocked the road with their vehicles. About five minutes later, police joined them. Police roped off the area with red tape, redirected traffic and used their public-address system to warn onlookers of potential danger.
"If they can see you, then they can shoot you," police warned. Read more here:

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