August 3, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT police train officers in Mexico

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UNT police train officers in Mexico Ricky Olivarez

In June, two members of the UNT police department traveled to Mazamitla, Mexico, to spend two weeks training the city's police officers.

Det. Ricky Olivarez and Officer Pete Uranga accompanied UNT social work lecturer Sylvester Flores and 12 of his students on a study abroad program in Mazamitla that combined community service and academics as part of a class focusing on race relations.

Mazamitla is a small town in a mountainous area of Jalisco State in western Mexico.

During a Fall 2000 class trip to Mazamitla, Flores began discussions with town officials to address the need for police training in the area. In February, Olivarez represented the UNT police department in the evolving discussion and took part in the determination that the training would proceed in June. Pete Uranga

While the town does not have much of a crime problem (mainly public intoxication and minor graffiti problems), officials believe Mazamitla has the potential to become a center for tourism, and the city will need trained police officers to handle that growth.

Working with 14 local officers and three paramedics, Uranga and Olivarez concentrated on instructing the officers in defensive tactics and community-oriented policing. This included pressure-point control tactics, tactical positioning, weapons control and preparation for presentations to students in Mazamitla schools.

Olivarez and Uranga assisted the Mazamitla police administration in selecting two of the participating officers to present the school programs called "Policia Amigo" (Officer Friendly). In a series of specially arranged programs, they presented the topics of personal safety and "stranger danger" to Sylvester Flores elementary through high school students in both the public and private schools.

At the conclusion of the two weeks in Mazamitla, Uranga and Olivarez presented diplomas to the participating police officers in recognition of the successful completion of their training.

Eduardo Anaya, mayor of Mazamitla, and his assistant Georgina Cardenas both acknowledge that their town police officers gained a new sense of confidence and professionalism, thanks to UNT's officers. Flores says the next step will be for the Mazamitla officers to come visit UNT so this program might be continued.