ANTHONY, Texas (KTSM) — Patrolling along the Texas-New Mexico state line in the Town of Anthony, Texas offers its unique challenges, despite low-call volumes, said Patrol Sgt. Phillip Maldonado with the Anthony Police Department (APD).
Maldonado said that an Anthony police officer’s 12-hr shift can be vastly different from one day to the next.
“Anthony tends to be like a melting pot of different people, of different things coming through,” Maldonado told KTSM during an exclusive ride-along on Saturday morning, Oct. 4.
Maldonado said APD officers will often interact with travelers driving through town, or people from neighboring towns because of its geographical location.
The Town of Anthony borders Village of Vinton, Texas to its south end, with the City of Anthony, New Mexico to its north, and sits right off of Interstate 10, which is east of the town.
Maldonado said the town’s location presents a challenge because their jurisdiction can become an issue if someone crosses into New Mexico.
“It’s another state, so they’re not the state that is commissioning us, so that’s where we lose the arrest authority and the police powers that we do have. When we end up in New Mexico, it’s almost impossible for us to take any enforcement action,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado said that criminals in the area are keenly aware of this limitation.
“They study us as much as we study them. And they know that when they get past a certain street or when they get past a certain section of jurisdiction, it’s New Mexico. And we can’t really take enforcement action anymore,” Maldonado said.
Because of that challenge, Maldonado said it is key for their department to have a good working relationship with neighboring law-enforcement agencies, especially those of New Mexico.
He said they collaborate closely with Anthony, New Mexico’s Police Department, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, sharing inteligence to crack down on criminals acting across state and jurisdictional lines.
“They’re going to handle certain criminal episodes on their end and then we’ll do the same on ours. And we kind of all come together. It’s like a big group project,” Maldonado said.
Despite these challenges, Maldonado said their department does not experience high call volumes, allowing them to focus on community and pro-active policing, and making themselves visible.
“When there’s police out, it tends to be a deterrent. When we’re involved in the communities the way that we are, it’s a deterrent. When we’re involved in the businesses the way that we are, it’s a deterrent,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado said the type of calls for service they receive can vary greatly from day to day, but that they usually involve anything from property crime, to theft, to criminal mischief.
However, he added that the Town of Anthony is such a tight-knit community, that residents are very vigilant to help curb crime.
“We don’t necessarily give people the opportunity to commit crime around here because number one, we’re vigilant. And number two, the community has each other’s backs. They’re watching out for each other, and they’re not afraid to call us,” Maldonado said. “They’ll see stuff, call it in, and then we’re able to go and address those concerns before they become larger.”
Read: Read More