Tijuana’s municipal government dismissed Police Chief Fernando Sánchez González on Tuesday after a wave of targeted killings left multiple officers dead in recent weeks. Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz confirmed the removal and announced that Ricardo Carpio Fernández, previously in charge of the city’s transit police, will take over the department immediately.
Seven Tijuana Officers Killed in Less Than Two Months
The firing follows one of the bloodiest stretches for Tijuana law enforcement in recent memory. At least seven municipal police officers have been killed since late April 2025, several of them while off duty. The attacks have rattled a force that already struggled with recruitment and retention.
Sánchez González had led the department since Mayor Burgueño took office in October 2024. His tenure was marked by promises of institutional reform, but the accelerating pace of officer killings undercut those pledges. The mayor said Tuesday that the change was necessary to restore confidence within the ranks and protect the city’s 2,800 active officers.
Tijuana’s police force has long been a target. Between 2018 and 2023, the city averaged roughly 30 officer killings per year, one of the highest rates for any municipal force in Mexico. The violence is tied to cartel competition for control of drug trafficking corridors and local retail drug markets, particularly in the eastern districts of the city. Officers are targeted both as obstacles and, in some cases, as alleged collaborators with rival factions.
The problem extends beyond Tijuana. Across Baja California, municipal and state officers face threats that make recruitment difficult. Salaries for entry-level Tijuana officers start at roughly 16,000 pesos per month (about $880 USD), a figure that has not kept pace with the risk. A 2024 report from Mexico’s national public security system found that Baja California had the second-highest rate of attacks on police in the country, behind only Guanajuato.
New Chief Ricardo Carpio Led Transit Police Overhaul
Ricardo Carpio Fernández, the incoming chief, has spent the past eight months running Tijuana’s Dirección de Movilidad, the transit and traffic police division. Before that, he held operational roles in municipal security during the previous administration. The mayor described Carpio as a leader with field experience who understands the risks officers face daily.
Carpio inherits a department under pressure from multiple directions. Beyond the officer killings, Tijuana’s homicide rate remains among the highest in Mexico, though it has declined from its 2018 peak of over 2,500 murders. The city recorded approximately 1,400 homicides in 2024, according to state attorney general data. Carpio told reporters Tuesday that his first priority will be improving intelligence coordination with state and federal forces, and he pledged to review security protocols for off-duty officers.
The transition also comes as the Baja California state government, led by Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, faces federal pressure to show results on public safety. Mexico’s national security strategy has shifted resources toward the newly created National Guard, but coordination between municipal, state, and federal forces in Tijuana remains inconsistent. Officers from different agencies often operate in the same neighborhoods with little shared intelligence.
Policing Crisis Affects Daily Life Across Tijuana
The security situation shapes daily routines across the city. Areas like the Zona Río commercial district, Playas de Tijuana, and the San Ysidro border crossing corridor see heavy police presence during daytime hours. But in colonias east of the Vía Rápida and south toward the Otay Mesa area, patrol coverage drops sharply at night. Residents in those areas report slower emergency response times and visible cartel activity.
Cross-border commuters and those living in Tijuana’s western neighborhoods are less likely to encounter direct violence, but the instability affects infrastructure, business confidence, and insurance costs. Several Tijuana business associations issued statements this week calling for the incoming chief to prioritize commercial district patrols and improve coordination with Customs and Border Protection on the U.S. side of the border.
Carpio is expected to present a formal security plan within 30 days of taking command. The Tijuana city council will hold a public security review session on June 25, where the new chief will face questions from council members. The story was first reported by Cadena Noticias and confirmed by the Tijuana municipal government’s official channels.