An example of my experience regarding the critical skill of application is during my time as Incident Commander overseeing the security operations for a high profile federal court trial in Laredo, Texas. The security mission was called “Operation Laredo II”. The development of an operational security plan for a high profile trial at a United States Federal Courthouse positioned geographically less than one hundred and fifty yards from the Mexican border can be a challenge.
When that trial entails dealing with one of the most powerful and influential drug cartels on the southern border known as Los Zetas, the challenges become critical. The Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas is comprised of former Mexican military soldiers who were originally hired by the Gulf Cartel as enforcers. The Gulf Cartel used members of Los Zetas as their hit squad against rival cartels including local police. Los Zetas emerged as a standalone cartel in 2008 severing their ties with the Gulf Cartel. The Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo is the home base of the Zeta Cartel and is directly across the border from Laredo, Texas.
The planning of Operation Laredo was a daunting task, to include he analysis of Intelligence and developing an operations plan that could be implemented in an efficient yet effective manner. The trial was held at the U. S. Federal Courthouse, located approximately 150 yards from the international border with Mexico. The suspect on trial was Gerardo Castillo Chavez who at one time was the leader of the Los Zetas cartel until his capture. Gerardo Castillo Chavez was on trial for racketeering, money laundering, and murder. Nuevo Laredo has always been a hot bed of activity with ongoing wars amongst the Gulf Coast Cartel and Los Zetas.
Laredo, Texas is one of the main entry points for drug smuggling and is considered a very lucrative gateway to the United States. In order for this to be an effective operation, several law enforcement agencies needed to work in a synergistic manner to enhance the communication required for a full scale operation. As the Incident Commander for this operation it was imperative that I obtain as much Intelligence as possible, to include recent criminal activity on the border, government facilities in close proximity to the trial, and current threats of retaliation against the United States.
Intelligence was btained from several sources and analyzed by special agents assigned to the trial to develop a portfolio of all current events. During the pre-trial operational activities, I attended several meetings with the Laredo and Webb County Police Department, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), U. S. Border Patrol’s special operations team “BORTAC”, and the U. S Marshals Service. Our meetings included the review of current Intelligence, operational planning, scheduling and logistics.
The Federal Protective Service (FPS) mission was to insure that security was in place to prevent any form of retaliation or terrorist activity uring the trial. The many challenges we faced during the trial kept us alert and ready to intercept any problems. The obstacles that we had to overcome were overwhelming. With the trial being conducted at a U. S. Federal Courthouse in close proximity to a key smuggling corridor of the border, the potential for increased hostilities were ever present. Los Zetas conducted constant surveillance through radio traffic monitoring, physical surveillance and informants already established in the area.
It was not uncommon to see members of the cartel known as scouts driving by the courthouse testing he security. The operational plan was to implement the most effective security countermeasure possible by means of layered security also known as rings. This operation plan included essential Intelligence gathering amongst several law enforcement agencies. The law enforcement agencies that would be taking an active role in this operation included FPS, BORTAC, U. S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement to include Laredo and Webb County Police Departments. The first ring of security was enforced by the U. S.
Marshals Service and their contracted Court Security Officers (CSO). They secured the courthouse through the use of magnetometers, x-ray machines and additional law enforcement presence at key points within the facility. In case of a breech in security the U. S. Marshals Service plans called for a complete lockdown of the facility to maintain control over all perimeter entrances and exits. The Marshals Service was also responsible for the transportation of the suspect to and from the courthouse. This required additional support from the local police departments to position their patrol vehicles at specific locations along the route of travel.
Laredo and Web County Police Departments played a critical role in securing all routes of travel during the trial. FPS would establish the second ring of security at the inner perimeter, by covering all four points of access, basically canvassing the facility to deter any threats within the envelope of coverage. The second ring of security was considered a static post, maintaining coverage at designated points with one patrol vehicle designated as perimeter patrol. In order for this to be effective and minimize complacency during a twelve hour period of coverage, all units repositioned their vehicles around he facility every two hours.
FPS also set up a command post strategically placed in close proximity to the federal courthouse. The command post monitored all law enforcement radio communication and CCV surveillance positioned around the perimeter. The third ring of security consisted of Laredo and Webb County Police Departments providing static and mobile patrols covering city streets and commercial building around the courthouse. The fourth or outer most ring of security was enforced by CBP BORTAC who provided air support and counter-surveillance, utilizing the roof tops of nearby facilities. Communication was a key element in coordinating all aspects of this operation.
Another factor to consider was the cartels ability to intercept encrypted radio traffic over open airways. This posed a serious problem safeguarding information in reference to law enforcement positioning and travel routes. Radio traffic was minimized using code to describe law enforcement locations or actions during the trial. As Incident Commander, I initiated specific radio codes to be used as descriptors regarding law enforcement movement and activities over open airways. This was a very effective method of safeguarding sensitive nformation from possible radio traffic monitoring.
The Los Zetas also had scouts driving by the courthouse at random times throughout the day, especially during the time the court was in session. In order to curtail this type of activity all FPS patrol vehicles were instructed to immediately contact the command center when surveillance was noted by vehicle or from a distant building. The command post made direct notification to Laredo and Webb County Police Departments. Local law enforcement immediately responded to the last known area reported and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle n question or checked the facility that surveillance was being noted.
All occupants of the suspicious vehicle were questioned and ran through NCIC for wants or warrants. The information obtained from the occupants was then checked for local gang or cartel affiliation. All field interview data was analyzed and maintained for future reference. Operation Laredo Il was ultimately a success. There were no breaches in security and the law enforcement agencies that played an active part in this operation worked together as one team in upholding a strong commitment to the mission.
As Incident Commander of this operation it was my main objective to make sure all security related matters were addressed and corrective action was immediately taken. My position required quick decisions without hesitation coupled with the ability to think “outside the box”. Prior to this operation being initiated it was imperative that I had a full understanding of the area to include the resources that where available. This example shows my ability to quickly adapt to an ever changing hostile environment and to achieve operational mission success as the Incident Commander.
