Oscar
Charleston, SC
Male, 31
Spent a bit over four years (2006-2010) serving as a Border Patrol Agent in Tucson Sector, AZ: the busiest sector in the country. Worked numerous positions, and spent the last year and a half operating/instructing ground radar installations. Duties included: field patrols, transport, processing, control room duties, transportation check, checkpoint operations, static watch duties, etc.
Nope. Not even close.
I hate to make broad sweeping judgements about international affairs but I think it's safe to say that the situation is so wildly out of control it will never be "eliminated". The cartels are big enough that there simply is no way to wipe them out - even with conventional military forces.
It is much more out of control than you see on TV. The cartels are quite good about terrifying the media, reporters, news agencies etc. They strung up the mutilated bodies of two bloggers last year - hung them from a highway overpass. The bloggers had been saying negative things about the cartels. The media have turned a blind eye to most of their operations, and I don't blame them.
How do you turn the tide? I have no idea. That's akin to asking how you make people simply stop committing crimes. It's not an answer anyone has. Corruption in Mexico is found at every single level of every department/agency etc. This means that the cartel is absolutely ingrained in the Mexican government, etc.
I applaud the efforts of politicians and the good police/military folks...but I think it's a fight they're losing. What you probably need in Mexico is a social uprising by the entire country. There is no reason why Mexicans should have to come to the U.S. to make money. They have a beautiful country which could be a stellar 2nd world place. It would be bloody and incredibly violent, but I'd like to see the entire population of Mexico stand up against the cartels and kick them out.
It'd be nice to see Mexicans take back Mexico. I don't see it in the cards in the near future though.
Share Answer: 
While I never looked too hard into it, we had a couple of options. Each station would have a handful of specialized units: Horse Patrol, Bikes, ATV's, Radar Operators, EMT's, first responders, etc.
Then each sector (which consisted of 4-6 stations, sometimes more) would have an SRT team, and a BORSTAR team. These teams would draw agents from the stations, and you'd work out of the sector headquarters. These teams deployed throughout the sector and also worked a lot of local stuff with other law enforcement agencies and local police departments.
You had some national level units such as BORTAC which would deploy on special assignments around the country. You also had "National SRT" and "National BOSTAR" etc. which were also nationally deployed. If I understand correctly, units such as BORTAC used to be employed outside of the U.S. (countering drug cartels in Central/South America) but are no longer used abroad.
These teams are obviously on call for any overly serious incidents. During things like Katrina the entire BP BORSTAR/BORTAC/SRT community is put on standby and many of them were utilized for SAR duties etc. When President Bush spoke at our Academy, the national SRT and BORTAC units were there to work with the Secret Service etc.
So it varies, but typical the real special type units begin at the sector level. I never worked in any of these units, though I frequently worked alongside them. Take the information here with a grain of salt as it may have changed or may be much more detailed than I have put forth here.
Share Answer: 
The cartels are so busy - they have much bigger fish to fry. That being said, any LEO should always be on their guard. You're definitely not the most popular person. As far as Mexico for vacation - I'm not that gullible. Any country that suffers 60,000 people killed over a five year span along the border doesn't get any tourist money from me. It's on the State Department's "not recommended" list, but it won't stop Americans from trying to save a buck on liquor etc.
Share Answer: 
I was and still am rather scrawny, so the academy was tough - but if I made it through, anyone should be able to. Regarding Spanish, they have eased the requirements significantly - but this is a bad move in my opinion. They teach very compartmented spanish in small blocks...so you learn commands vs. actually learning the language. You could always grab Rosetta Stone and start learning Spanish. It wouldn't hurt. The other alternative is to get a feisty Spanish-speaking girlfriend/boyfriend and learn the hard way.
Share Answer: 
Private Detective
Have you ever turned down a job because you thought it was too dangerous?
Private Detective
What do you think is the most corrupt industry, city, and State in the country?
Call Center Employee (Retail)
When do your policies allow you to hang up on a rude caller?
I'm not entirely sure what happened to you. However, if you've been caught (by any law enforcement agency) with illegal substances it's often recorded by dispatch officers/personnel. If your license plate is run by other law enforcement officers/agents this information will pop up. This assists officers and agents in knowing what they're dealing with when they do a traffic stop. Prior arrests, detentions, and warnings etc. are noted in the large database.
Share Answer: 
Nope. Horrible. We had more issues, pursuits, assaults etc. from the Tohono O'odham people than we did from Mexican illegals. I'd say 75% of my encounters with TO's were negative. The vast majority of U.S. citizen smugglers we arrested were TO's. There is simply massive amounts of criminal activity on the reservation. Even some of the police and rangers were up to no good.
A drunk TO ran one of my ex-trainees off the road and killed him. We had numerous incidents where TO's would apprehend Mexican females and sexually assault/abuse them for weeks before someone found out.
There were a small number of TO's who would assist the BP, and this was normally out of spite for other TO's (one household or family would rat out another household/family). As a whole though, an extremely negative relationship.
Many of the TO's resented us because other than their own police/rangers and Sheriffs (who almost never went onto the reservation) we were the only law enforcement agency which was allowed to enter and operate on their land. They despised us for this. We ended up enforcing or assisting in a lot of non-immigration law enforcement duties because the TO's were always drunk and getting into trouble.
The BP rolled over and played nice (this is the kinder/gentler America after all) and refused to stand firm whenever an argument came up. It was quite disappointing. Everything was handled with kid-gloves, which was sickening to watch in many instances.
So, short answer: No. Not a good relationship.
Share Answer: 
It's simple night vision and FLIR as carried by the military and other law enforcement agencies. Also the "midnight sun" or ridiculous huge powerful flood lights.
Share Answer: 
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
