Has anyone heard of Chicano Squad? Because we see this pioneer group for the first time.
For those who haven’t heard about this historic pivotal point in Houston policing, here are two nights of must-see documentaries from A&E, Chicanowill provide all the fascinating details in a Labor Day event tailored for lovers of true crime and crime documentaries.
We were lucky enough to get an exclusive, extensive glimpse into the incredible first-hand account of Houston’s first all-Latino police squad.
Chicano Squad originated from lack of community policing in Houston
As society continues to evolve and crime-fighting efforts keep pace, policing has long been a topic of discussion (and heated debate).
Many of the nuanced conversations revolve around law enforcement and their relationship with society at large and individual communities.
Like other cities, Houston has historically faced issues such as disproportionate crime rates in certain neighborhoods and fraught relationships between disenfranchised communities and the police who serve them.
“Chicano Squad” is a documentary that explores first-hand accounts of Houston’s first all-Latin professional team.
It emerged before the 1980s and spent the next three decades fighting crime on behalf of an often-overlooked vigilant community.
Often, discussions about America’s policing style tend to be rooted in calls for greater community policing, and Chicano Squad epitomizes that.
Tensions between police and Latino community a tinderbox
In 1979, the Latino population in Houston, Texas, had an alarmingly high homicide rate.
In fact, Houston’s homicide rate is so high that the city has earned the nickname “Murder Capital” of the United States.
With hundreds of cases unsolved, one of the biggest factors is that many detectives don’t speak Spanish and Latino communities, especially those affected by immigration, don’t trust law enforcement.
Decades of police brutality and police corruption at HPD have strained relations between HPD and the Latino community, which came to a head after the 1977 death of veteran José Campos Torres at the hands of police boiling point.
His death sparked a veritable riot that seemed to shatter everything a friendly and energetic police force and Houston’s Latino population could have hoped for.
But this is where Chicano Squad comes into play.
Latino communities need police they can trust
At Patrol Officer Jim Montero’s insistence, HPD assembled a bilingual, all-Latino team of professionals and gave it 90 days to prove it closed cases and narrowed law enforcement’s ties to the Latino community the gap between capabilities.
Six patrol officers step up from regular patrol officers to become detectives, delving into homicides, robberies, rapes and some of Houston’s most heinous crimes.
If they cannot prove themselves in time, the team will be disbanded and each member will have to go back to patrol.
Fortunately, Jim Montero, Jose Cervera, Raymond Gonzalez, UP Hernandez and Cecil Mosqueda exceeded expectations.
Within three months, the newly formed Chicano Squad cleared 40 cases.
Their success is largely due to their ability to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the Latino community.
Our sneak peek shows why Chicanos are so successful
These are people who have built relationships with the community and truly earned their respect.
They even earned the respect of some of the criminals they hunted.
In our exclusive sneak peek, we take a closer look at the challenges faced by the Chicano Squad and why mistrust is prevalent between the Latino community and law enforcement.
One member recalled going to a local bar to inquire about a long-unsolved murder.
Patrons of the bar were genuinely shocked that anyone was actually investigating this matter, let alone so long after the crime was committed.
One of our heroic police officers not only obtained a staggering amount of details about the incident, but he also quite literally pointed the finger in the direction of the prime suspect.
Come and see the jaw-dropping revelation!
The two-part documentary “The Chicano Squad” will air September 2 and September 3 on A&E at 9/8c.
You can watch it live on the A&E app the next day.
Can you tune?
Let us know in the comments below!
The post Chicano Squad sneak peek: Bridging the gap between police and community appeared first on TV Fanatic.
