A Police Buddy
Crime fighting across borders: Mexico female mayor turns to Harris County Sheriff for advice
Monterrey — the largest industrial city in Mexico — wants to believe it's on the road to recovery. After constantly being in the news as a major battleground in Mexico's bloody drug war, things are turning around for the capital city of Nuevo Leon, insists Monterrey Mayor Margarita Arellanes Cervantes.
The first female mayor in Monterrey's history made Houston one of her many stops on a recent Texas tour. She visited Harris County's Emergency Management headquarters where she was hosted by Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
"Their success is our success and likewise."
"The idea was essentially to share information, to share ideas, but to work to an active relationship where we can receive information and best practices and we can share information and best practices and training," Garcia said at a press conference.
Garcia introduced Cervantes to the iWatchHarrisCounty app — a virtual crime watch that allows Android and iPhone users to report suspicious behavior and send in tips.
Cervantes said her main goal is to restore the public's feeling of security.
“These topics are not just an issue for the police, it’s a question of prevention," she said. "We’ve already seen programs and actions where the same young people get involved to help their communities and the same young people listen to their conscience, which enables them to impact a bad decision.
Garcia has sent Harris County deputies to help train officers in Monterrey.
"Their success is our success and likewise," he said. "We have a mutual interest in sharing the best strategies and the best information that will keep both of our communities safe."
