BP / Media Advocacy / Nov 3 Goals

Policy Goals

Residents of San Diego County call on the City of San Diego to immediately increase enforcement on the U.S. side of the border to prevent problems related to U.S. teen and binge drinking in Tijuana. Immediate enforcement policies include:

1) The City of San Diego to reconsider its interpretation of Drunk in Public Laws in order to enable much higher quantities of arrests on a preventive basis. Institute for Public Strategies (IPS) studies show that over 1,500 people emerge from the border every weekend evening from midnight to 6:00 A.M. with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) over .08 and many will get into their cars and drive home. Police are normally making only 5 to 30 arrests per night.

2) Conduct more Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoints on San Ysidro streets, including in and around parking lots and freeway entrances. IPS studies show that nearly 500 drunk drivers emerge from the border every weekend evening from midnight to 6:00 A.M.

3) Enforcement of Zero Tolerance Laws. Many of those crossing back into the U.S. include young adults between the ages of 18-20 who have legally consumed alcohol in Mexico. Once they cross the border, many of those young adults get into a car. Although some may not be over the .08 BAC limit, they have consumed alcohol and are violating California’s Zero Tolerance Laws.

4) San Diego City Council to immediately devote resources so there is sufficient law enforcement to increase arrests. How many more innocent lives must be lost before city officials and the Police Chief consider alcohol problems at the border a public health and safety priority?

Though a large reduction in problems has occurred during the past three years of Border Project and Operation Safe Crossing Work, major problems remain to be solved...

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