TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja News Wire

Julian Leyzaola, police chief of Juarez, smiles during an interview with foreign media in his office in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday June 7, 2011. Formerly the top cop in Tijuana, he is featured in a new documentary about Juarez. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca) - AP

By Sandra Dibble | SDUT
Jan. 30, 2013

Former Tijuana police chief Julián Leyzaola Pérez is a central figure in the new documentary, "The New Juarez," the last in a trilogy focused on what was once the most violent city in Mexico.

The film, which opens Friday in Chula Vista, is set in 2012, a year that saw a significant drop in violent crime and allowed residents to resume many of their public routines.

Today in Ciudad Juárez, located across the Río Grande from El Paso, Texas, "people are going out at night, the restaurants are busy, the clubs are crowded," said Minn, who has been in San Diego this week promoting the film. Minn's documentary includes interviews with residents of the city, as well as analysts and politicians on both sides of the border.

A good part of the documentary focuses on Leyzaola, who is now the police chief of Juarez. For Minn, Leyzaola's no-holds-barred efforts against criminal organizations was one of the factors contributing to the drop in the city's murder rate: After peaking in 2010 at 3,084 (about eight a day), the homicides fell to 1,940 in 2011 and 746 last year, according to government figures.

"Leyzaola has taken a very iron-fist approach, and I admire him greatly," said Minn, a Boston native and former sportscaster who found his passion producing true-crime documentaries. He said he has no sponsors, but finances his own films.

A retired Mexican military officer, Leyzaola inspired admiration and criticism during his tenure as Tijuana's top cop from 2007 to 2010. Supporters said his tough approach was key in reducing violence, while detractors accused him of human rights violations.

"This is a very nebulous war, it's a ghost war, and the only ones who know what is going on are the direct participants," said Minn, who blames failed U.S. policies for much of the violence in Mexico.

Minn is planning to attend some of the movie's screenings this weekend and participate in question-and-answer sessions with the audience. He said the movie will play for at least a week at Regal Rancho del Rey at 1025 Tierra Del Rey in Chula Vista. Showtimes are 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, and 9:30.

Maybe if more cities north of the border had a police chief like Leyzaola we would have a better handle on the drug and gang problem. He is definitely batting 2 for 2.

I don't think he could get away with it NOB...