A fellow Baja resident just sent me this information, that you must read (if you’re concerned about your safety, of course). You’ve probably read about people getting robbed while driving on the toll road, and this is how it’s being done:

On the 31st of December, 08 I received an email from a friend and current resident of Baja del Mar, saying that about half a mile before the toll booth, on a little curve, there a car was parked on the side of the road with the emergency lights on. Three or four men were standing by the car and another man was lying on the middle of the road. The whole scene looked like there had been an accident, but she was leery, so she only slowed down and never stopped completely. She managed to drive passed and avoid the person that was lying in the road. Then, after she passed the scene, she looked back on her mirror and noticed that the man lying in the road was getting up (as if uninjured) and approaching the other three men. She continued on to the toll booth, and reported what she had witnessed to security at the toll booths. They confirmed her suspicions that the accident had been staged and that this was occurring often. It seems that these men were all part of the group of criminals trying to confuse drivers by making them think that there is an accident, in hope that unsuspecting driver will pull over to help. Once they get somebody to pull over to help, they are able to rob the good Samaritans.

I highly recommend not driving on the scenic road/toll road at night, since this is when most of these acts are occurring. If it is unavoidable to travel this road after dark, and you witness what seems to be an accident, or anything else that looks suspicious to you, DO NOT STOP TO HELP! Call the local police at 060 in Rosarito or 066 in Tijuana and report what you witnessed.

I also recommend not stopping for any undercover patrols, when they are trying to pull you over until you are in a safe location such as, a well lit area, or if possible continue on to the toll booth where there are witnesses present.

A couple of our readers have asked me for either advice on what to do against the Trump Towers scammers, or for a way to have purchasers get in touch with each other.

Since I’m not an attorney, I can’t offer any qualified advice, but I do think it’s a great idea if numerous purchasers get together and come up with a course of action. So, I’d like to encourage you to contact a fellow purchaser, Mary McDermott, who’s interested in joining forces with other people in a similar situation: Her email address is mmcd@mmcd.cts.com and she’s in San Diego.

This person is NOT an attorney, and is not trying to get your money. She’s simply someone who bought a condo on Trump Towers and is trying to get something done about this scam.

Las Rocas Resort in Rosarito Beach invites you to welcome 2009 with a Cocktail Party at their Palapa Bar! Fun includes:
Pre-Dinner Icebreaker at the Palapa Bar from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
(includes Margarita Fountain and local wines)

New Year’s Eve Dinner & Dance with Live Music & Party Favors at the Acuario Ballroom from 9:00pm to 2:00am (or later!)
This includes a 4 Course Dinner.

Price? $ 27.00 dlls for Dinner and Dance per person - tax & gratuity included

To Reserve, please call (661) 614-9870, go in person to Las Rocas Resort & Spa,
Carretera Libre Tijuana-Ensenada Km 38.50, Playas De Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico,
or visit the hotel’s website for menu information:
www.lasrocas.com

The Newport Beach Hotel in Rosarito has a great offer for those wishing to spend the New Year’s Eve having fun by the beach. For $999 (pesos) you get a night in one of their ocean view rooms (for 2), romantic dinner (for 2), and free entertainment.
For more information, contact the hotel directly: www.NewPortBeachHotel.com

The current weather conditions in the Rosarito-Tijuana area are creating many problems. If there is no need for you to go out, please stay at home. The rain is expected to gradually stop by 3 pm this afternoon.

In case you need to call for an emergency service dial 066 or 078, all police, firefighters, and public workers, including adminitration personnel at City Hall, are working on different levels to aid this situation.

In case you need to be evacuated there are 2 provisional shelters: Secundaria 32 , that is the Jr. Hight School across the street from the Fire Department in Rosarito Downtown; and the second one is the Auditorioum Ruffo Appel on the Benito Juarez Blv. oposite from McDonald’s.

A top-ranking police officer was shot to death early Thursday, becoming the eighth officer on the Rosarito Beach municipal force killed since late September.

Jesus Mara Elizalde Romero was on duty when gunmen sprayed his pickup about 1:30 a.m., the Baja California Attorney General’s Office said. Elizalde, who was in charge of department operations, was found inside his patrol pickup at the northern end of town along the toll road near the former Oasis Hotel.

A law enforcement official who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media said Elizalde was in the company of a woman not connected to the department at the time of the attack. She was not injured.

Jorge Eduardo Montero, Rosarito’s secretary of public safety, has ordered police to patrol in pairs for their safety, and it was unclear why there was no other officer nearby.

Drug traffickers increasingly have targeted law enforcement officers in Mexico in recent months. Some are killed for refusing to cooperate, but others because they work for a rival gang. Elsewhere in Baja California Thursday, two decapitated bodies were found at 6:50 a.m. along the free road between Tecate and Mexicali. According to the Attorney General’s Office, they were wrapped in transparent tape, and their heads were in a nearby bucket.

City Mayor Hugo Torres on Saturday told the city’s largest expatriate group of gains made in public safety during his first year in office and was presented an award for his work.

“Our main proposal has been to fix up the security,” Mr. Torres told about 150 people gathered for the monthly meeting of the United Society of Baja California at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Mr. Torres was presented a plaque by USBC President Anne Hines which read in part: “In recognition of support, friendship and commitment in making Rosarito a better city for everyone.”

The USBC president said members of the group were deeply appreciative of the personal dedication and gains Mayor Torres has brought for all city residents.

The mayor thanked group members for the plaque and “for being here in Rosarito, making this your home and all your support.” About 10 percent of Rosarito’s estimated 140,000 residents are expatriates, most from the U.S.

This was the second time that Mr. Torres talked to the group since taking office on a reformist platform for a three-year term in December of 2007.

Noting that “the problem with security was a little bit bigger than we thought,” the mayor said that nonetheless substantial gains had been made, especially in improving the city’s police force.

Initially, Mayor Torres said, the main concern of his administration had been with some corrupt officers extorting money from visiting motorists.

But after a December 2007 attempt on the life of the new Police Chief Jorge Montero, in which about a dozen police officers were suspects, he realized the problem was deeper and quickly took strong action.

He sent all the department’s 149 officers for extensive ethics testing, including polygraph exams. Eventually about 60 percent of the department officers were replaced, while the size of the force was increased to almost 200, with plans to expand to 300.

With the changes — which include bringing in many former military as police officers —- a solid, dependable police department has been created and the problem of police soliciting bribes has become almost non-existent, Mayor Torres said.

“Much of the work has been done,” he said.

An additional 40 million pesos has been budgeted for police services and additional weapons and safety equipment is expected. The city also has established a tourist police force, a 24-hour-a-day ombudsman’s office and a citizen’s watch group of almost 400.

Mayor Torres said that the challenge of public safety would have been largely solved if not for war that broke out between rival factions of the Arrelano cartel several months ago in northern Baja, as federal, state and city officials crack down on organized crime.

More than 30 people, mainly cartel members, have been killed in Rosarito in recent months, because of the rivalry.

“It has been very difficult to stop the killings; we don’t have a list of who’s in the gangs,” Mayor Torres said. “But in Rosarito, I don’t expect these killings in Rosarito to go on much longer.”

In part because the U.S. media has covered primarily crime problems in the area, sometimes sensationalizing them, tourism and real estate sales have fallen off dramatically in Rosarito, creating economic difficulties, Mayor Torres said.

Part of the challenge in coming months will be to inform people in the U.S, of progress made and that the violence affects almost exclusively criminal elements. The information must be conveyed accurately.

“We will never go the U.S. and tell a lie,” he said.

In other gains, the city has been selected as the site for a new Tijuana Convention Center in Rosarito and plans are progressing to complete paving of all city streets, including outlying areas, Mayor Torres said.

Progress also is being made to bring more jobs to city by creating an industrial park and attracting environmentally sound manufacturing businesses, he said.