Juárez, federal police to form joint patrols
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/28/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
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Juárez police will start patrolling alongside federal police after an estimated 120 more federal officers arrived in the city Thursday.

The patrols are scheduled to last for at least five months while the Juárez police department attempts to add 1,000 new officers as the city deals with a drug cartel war that has claimed more than 500 lives this year, officials said.

The effort will be in addition to federal police operations targeting the rise in so-called "express kidnappings" where victims are targeted in quick shakedowns for cash.

The reinforcements arrived Thursday at the Juárez airport in a black federal police airliner as part of the government's

anti-crime offensive Joint Operation Chihuahua, El Norte newspaper reported.

Also, platoon-sized Juárez police "convoys" have been assigned to patrol tourist areas - the ProNaF, downtown and the upscale Zona Dorada. The convoys are a minimum of five vehicles with two to three officers in each car, police officials said recently.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.

Homicides

Chihuahua state investigators Friday released the names of the three men killed Thursday in Juárez.


Miguel Angel Rana Cano, 30, died of a gunshot wound to the head on Rumania street in the San Antonio
area.

Raul Medrano Montes, 35, and Francisco Ramirez, 46, were slain in a red SUV with Texas plates on Avenida Tecnológico by Nuevo Leon street.






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