Tijuana’s municipal police chief was removed from his post on Wednesday after a series of incidents involving officers found intoxicated while on patrol. Mayor Ismael Burgueño announced the dismissal of Fernando Sánchez González during a morning press conference, calling the situation “unacceptable” and pledging a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct within the force.
Three Incidents of Intoxicated Officers Prompted the Firing
The removal followed at least three documented cases in recent weeks in which Tijuana municipal police officers were discovered drunk or drinking while on active duty. Burgueño did not provide exact dates for all three incidents but confirmed that the pattern had become impossible to ignore. The officers involved in the incidents have been placed under internal investigation, though the mayor did not specify how many face potential termination.
Sánchez González had served as Tijuana’s police chief since the current administration took office in October 2024. His tenure lasted roughly eight months. Before his appointment, he had served in various capacities within Baja California’s public security apparatus, though he was not widely known outside law enforcement circles.
Burgueño named José Luis Fernández as the interim replacement. Fernández previously held a senior operational role within the Tijuana police department, according to the mayor’s statement. The administration did not say whether a permanent appointment would follow or whether Fernández is being considered for the role long-term.
Tijuana’s Police Force Has Faced Repeated Discipline Crises
Discipline problems within Tijuana’s municipal police are not new. The department employs roughly 2,500 officers to serve a metro area of more than two million people, one of the lowest officer-to-resident ratios among major Mexican cities. Low pay, long shifts, and constant exposure to cartel violence have made recruitment and retention persistent challenges.
In 2019, more than 100 Tijuana officers were reassigned or dismissed after failing “trust tests,” a battery of drug, polygraph, and background checks required under Mexican law. Similar purges occurred in 2021 and 2023. Each round of firings temporarily reduces patrol capacity in a city that consistently ranks among Mexico’s most violent.
Alcohol-related misconduct specifically has drawn public attention before. In 2022, a viral video showed a Tijuana officer slumped over his patrol car steering wheel in the Zona Río commercial district. The incident prompted calls from city council members for random sobriety testing of on-duty officers. It is unclear whether that testing was ever implemented systematically.
The broader context compounds the problem. Municipal police in Tijuana earn between 15,000 and 20,000 pesos per month (roughly $830 to $1,100 USD), well below the salaries offered by state or federal agencies. Officers often work 24-hour shifts followed by 24 hours off, a schedule that critics say contributes to fatigue, stress, and substance use. Union representatives have pushed for higher pay and shorter rotations for years, with limited success.
Patrol Gaps Affect Neighborhoods Popular With Foreign Residents
When officers are removed from active duty, the impact ripples through patrol schedules. Colonias in Tijuana’s western corridor, including Playas de Tijuana, Punta Bandera, and the Rosarito border zone, already see limited municipal police presence compared to the city’s central and eastern zones. These western neighborhoods are home to a significant number of American and Canadian residents who cross the border regularly or live full-time on the Mexican side.
The Zona Río district, where one of the prior alcohol incidents occurred, serves as Tijuana’s main commercial and consular hub. The U.S. Consulate General sits on Paseo de las Culturas in Zona Río. Restaurants, hotels, and medical tourism clinics in that corridor depend on visible police presence for both actual security and the perception of safety among cross-border visitors.
Burgueño emphasized that the firings and the leadership change are meant to restore public confidence. “We cannot ask citizens to trust the police if the police cannot maintain basic discipline,” he said during the press conference. He added that the new interim chief has been instructed to implement immediate internal checks, including unannounced sobriety inspections during shift changes.
The mayor did not announce a timeline for completing the internal investigations into the officers involved. Fernández is expected to present a preliminary reform plan to the city council within 30 days of taking over. The story was first reported by Cadena Noticias.