Tijuana Travel Forum

Who can you report to if a corrupt police officer in Tijuana shakes you down for a bribe. A friend of mine was taken to an atm and told to take out the maximum amount by the Tijauna Police. It seems like there should be someone in MX to report to?

Let it go. You won't get anywhere complaining about the police in Mexico especially over a minor matter like money. It may not be right (in the way we look at it), but that's the advice I get from friends who live there. Bear in mind the cops had to pay a lot of money to get their jobs, and they need to recoup their investment. This is a well understood phenomenon.

One friend of mine had his house in DF broken into, called the police, and the police ended up arresting *him* -- solely on the basis of the fact that he had insurance, therefore he must have staged the whole thing himself. Eventually (with bribes) it all got worked out, but it was very unpleasant. Needless to say, the peole who actually broke into his house were never found.

It's hopeless. If nobody got hurt, except financially, I suggest your friend just take a deep breath and move on. My sense is you really don't want to draw attention to this situation.

That's horrible!
Uhm..

1. Search for the closest "agencia del ministerio publico" and bring with you an official id.

2. Suposly, the clerks there should tell you the steps to follow or will direct you with somebody in charge.

3. The person there will ask you to "talk with the truth" and talk about what happened, you must try to be the most precise possible. Your declaration will be taken and written.

Once you read it, sign it if you agree with the content.

Ask for a copy, this works as a constancy.

The "agente del ministerio publico" will have you in another appointment telling you what your case ended and if you can bring information to the case.

If the situation can be proven and the guilty found, the representative there will send your case to a judge and then another proess to have a sentence or fine.

When an authority is not listening to you, or they are simply ignoring your case, there is an office nationaly to receive all this complains, it's called Contraloria Interna de la PGR

55-29-95-00 y 55-29-95-01
01-800-70-700-00
-Contralorķa Interna de la PGJDF
53-46-88-60 y 53-46-81-16

Sadly, many of the police corporations in Mexico happen to be corrupted and it's a big lose of time and money to complain, reason why many people decide to give up and not do it.

Police is never allow to do what they did. They are probably not even cops sometimes, but now as things are and have been for a while, I don't know.

Good luck.

Another consideration that your friend should consider is that when the "complaint" is made to the proper authorities, he\she may be liable for the original "crime."

That "bribe" may be well worth the price, just to stay out of the Tijuana jail, especially if the police knows about the complaint.

I personaly feel the police are much less corupt than in the past. First of all, if they are stopping you, you most likely did something wrong. They don't just shake down normal people walking down the street. Situations were most people get taken for a ride are for driving infractions, public drunkeness, urinating in public, jay walking, sex in public or fighting.
If you follow the simple laws, you have nothing to worry about.

You are somehow right, i have never seen a cop just stopping somebody just because from nothing, but it depends where you are as well. We once were stopped by a patrol on the avenue because he said something about a plate we had from another state, they plate was fine, we didn't speed, i mean there was no reason to be stopped, it was 4.00 am and we were traveling back home, my dad was there and the guy simply wanted you know, a salutation with maybe a mexican peso included, that is common sometimes, but yes definately depends a lot where you are...