Juarez Police respond to cartel attacks on surveillance cameras: 'no stepping back'

Juarez police are facing resistance from organized crime through targeted attacks on newly installed surveillance cameras, part of its much-anticipated Sentinel platform. Despite the backlash, authorities are doubling down on their commitment to improving security, emphasizing that the attacks, while disruptive, have not hindered the overall progress of the initiative.

The attacks come as the state of Chihuahua begins building the Sentinel Tower, a 20-story facility that will station more than 600 police and civilian staff. They will work monitoring 4,800 cameras and 1,791 plate reader cameras around the state. This project is part of a broader strategy to reduce violent crime, especially in hotspots like Juarez, where homicides remain a significant concern, despite recent declines.

Cartel pushback

Chihuahua State Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya addressed the recent attacks in a press conference, attributing them to the discomfort organized crime groups feel as their ability to operate freely is being constrained.

"The Sentinel platform, as you all know, has been under attack since we introduced the project. Organized crime has felt uncomfortable with this platform that is being implemented throughout the state—something that hadn't happened before. It has prevented criminals from moving freely as if the roads or cities of the state were their own," Loya explained.

He noted that only a small fraction of the cameras—about 0.2%—have been targeted. Despite the attacks, Loya stresse, the Sentinel platform has become an essential tool in combating organized crime, and the recent setbacks will not deter its progress.

"The criminals are not happy, they are not comfortable. However, there will be no stepping back—not in the implementation of the platform, nor in the number of operations we are carrying out, which are perfectly coordinated with other agencies," he said.

He pointed to a significant drop in homicides as evidence of the platform's effectiveness, citing 1,427 fewer homicides compared to the previous three years.

Homicide numbers are still high, impunity too

The attacks on the surveillance cameras come at a time when Juarez has seen a slight decrease in violence. August 2024 ended as one of the least violent months of the year, with 75 homicides, marking a reduction compared to previous ones. This follows July, which saw 86 murders, breaking a trend where the monthly murder rate consistently exceeded 100 victims.

Despite the improvement, the homicide rate remains alarmingly high. So far this year, 638 homicides have been reported, according to Observatorio Chihuahua. In August, several high-profile killings occurred, including the murder of two women in the southern part of the city. The women were brutally stabbed by the husband of one victim, who fled the scene and remains at large.

Another case involved the discovery of a woman's body last week in a vacant lot in the Ampliación Plutarco Elías Calles neighborhood. The woman had been shot in the head and left in the overgrown area, underscoring the persistent violence that still plagues parts of the city.

In addition to these tragic events, August also saw a double homicide of two men in a luxury sports car near the upscale Campestre neighborhood. The incident prompted a thorough investigation, with authorities seeking footage not only from government surveillance cameras but also from private security systems in nearby residences.

According to Norte Digital, last year a 96 percent impunity rate was reached for the reported homicides. Based on the data presented, out of the 1,169 homicides in 2023, there were only convictions for 39 victims, which would represent justice for 4 percent of the cases.

An Impunidad Cero report reveals that out of every 100 crimes committed in Mexico, only 6.4 are reported; out of every 100 reported crimes, only 14 are solved. This means that the probability of a committed crime being solved in our country is only 0.9%.