Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz officially launched the city’s police body camera program on April 24, distributing equipment to 24 district and section commanders at the Centro de Control y Mando (Command and Control Center). The rollout puts 400 cameras into service across all operational divisions of the Policía Municipal, funded by an investment of nearly 10 million pesos (roughly $500,000 USD).
The cameras will record police interactions continuously, including traffic stops, inspections, and detentions. Burgueño framed the devices as a tool to prevent corruption and extortion during police encounters, a long-standing concern for residents and visitors to the border city.
Priority Zones and Deployment Plan
City officials said deployment will focus first on high-traffic areas. Officers assigned to transit enforcement, the tourist police, and operational sectors near the international border crossing and Zona Río will be among the first to wear the devices. These areas see the heaviest foot traffic and police presence in Tijuana.
The body cameras complement dashboard cameras already installed in patrol vehicles. Those dashcams record both inside and outside the car, giving investigators multiple angles of any single intervention. The new body-worn units add a first-person perspective from the officer on foot.
Officials Behind the Program
The February announcement of the program by Burgueño indicated that the city had purchased cameras before but never incorporated them into officers’ daily routines. The first 150 units were initially slated for motorcycle patrol officers earlier this year, with the full 400 now being distributed to commanders for field deployment.
Joining the mayor at the ceremony were Municipal Government Secretary Arnulfo Guerrero León, Municipal Public Safety and Civil Protection Secretary José Alejandro Avilés Amezcua, and Municipal Police and Transit Director David García Barraza. Commanders who received equipment are responsible for overseeing proper use during their shifts.
The cameras record each intervention in real time, creating direct evidence of every police action. City officials said the footage will be used for internal oversight and accountability reviews.
This story was first reported by Jornada BC and El Imparcial.