Adan Dominguez Leon, Chapala’s new municipal police chief, has told the Reporter that he hopes to replicate the success he achieved in bringing down the crime rate in the Guadalajara suburb of Tlajomulco, where he served in the same role for two and a half years.
Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado appointed a substitute to take over command of the police force less than 60 days after taking office.
Dominguez reported for duty Thursday, November 26 to replace Jose Alfredo Oliva Molina, the new administration’s original head of Public Security. Oliva, a retired Mexican Army officer, reportedly resigned due to health reasons.
Dominguez, 41, is a career cop who worked his way up the police ranks serving in various Jalisco communities, as well as his native state of Guanajuato. His 28-month stint as public security director in Tlajomulco ended with the October 1 change of government.
In a frank interview with the Reporter this week, the new chief compared the challenges of dealing with public security in Tlajomulco – with a population of nearly a half million inhabitants and a reputation as a hot spot of organized crime – and the smaller and far more sedate municipality of Chapala.
Asserting his success in bringing down Tlajomulco’s crime rate through close collaboration with local citizens, he lamented the fact that the trend has reversed since his departure. He intends to employ similar tactics to confront law enforcement issues in Chapala.
Dominguez explained that he undertook a thorough analysis of local crime statistics before accepting his new assignment. He concluded that home burglaries, auto theft, robbery and intentional injuries consistently stand out as the community’s most predominant criminal offenses.
“Since 2007 the figures have been on the rise, or remained static at best,” he said. “There doesn´t seem to have been a well-defined strategy implemented to combat these common crimes.”
Dominguez is already developing a comprehensive crime prevention project that will address both the rigors of day-to-day police work to protect the public and the roots of delinquency within the community. But he is faced with overcoming major obstacles in terms of human and material resources.
When the new administration took office, the police department was operating with only two patrol trucks in good mechanical condition. After reconditioning and repairing the fleet, and reassigning several official vehicles to Public Security, seven working patrols are out on the road today. While that number is still insufficient to cover all of the municipality’s geographic territory adequately, the mayor is seeking state and federal government support to acquire additional vehicles early next year.
The police force is also badly strapped for manpower due to personnel who quit or were dismissed with the change of government. Dominguez currently has 69 officers on call to cover two 24-hour work shifts, including 14 new policemen hired since October 1. He has back-up from the 24 men and women employed in the newly formed Tourist Inspector squad, four of whom recently qualified to serve as full-fledged police officers.
With frequent public statements stressing that “Chapala is tranquil and at peace” and free of “high impact crimes such as homicide and kidnapping,” Degollado has been downplaying the spike in home burglaries and other crimes that has occurred over the past two months. Some citizens have expressed concern that he has been too distracted with other business to focus on fulfilling his campaign promise to make public security the administration’s top priority.
The new police chief, however, seems committed to doing his part. Dominguez emphasized his intention to form a common front with local businesses and citizens to build a safe and secure community for foreign and native residents.
Admitting that his own command of English is not great, he noted that a number of Chapala police officers do speak the language, with three bilingual officers normally assigned to each work shift.
Dominguez promises an open door policy, saying no appointment is needed for face-to-face conversations on police issues. Still, an advance call to 765-444 is advisable to make sure he will be at his desk. He also welcomes comments and tips sent to his personal email account, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..