Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber’s U.S.-Mexico Collaborative Effort Yields First Result

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber in an exclusive interview with the Eagle Pass Business Journal on February 27, 2015, announced that the joint U.S.-Mexico Law Enforcement Collaborative Initiative has yielded its first positive result of finding a disappeared young man, age 17, from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico at a shelter in Houston, Texas, much to the relief of a worried and anxious mother whom had reported her son missing to State of Coahuila authorities earlier in February 2015.

Sheriff Schmerber and a delegation of Maverick County officials, including County Commissioner Precinct 4 Roberto Ruiz and County Treasurer Rito J. Valdez, III, met with a delegation of the State of Coahuila, including the State of Coahuila Attorney General Homero Ramos Gloria and the State of Coahuila Secretary of Government Victor Zamora Rodriguez, on February 12, 2015 in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico to establish a bi-national law enforcement collaborative initiative between the State of Coahuila and the County of Maverick in identifying, searching, and locating missing and/or disappeared persons in both Mexico and the United States.

Sheriff Schmerber stated that “many American parents visit me to request assistance in finding their missing and/or disappeared family member in Mexico, but our office lacked the contacts and resources in Mexico to assist these American families attempt to locate their loved ones.” Similarly, Sheriff Schmerber stated that many Mexican families also request his assistance “in locating their missing and/or disappeared family members in the United States.” “There was a lack of communication and cooperation between Texas and Coahuila law enforcement authorities addressing these issues.” said Sheriff Schmerber. Maverick County decided to take the initiative and accept an invitation by the State of Coahuila to meet with them about establishing a joint, bi-national law enforcement collaborative initiative to attempt to locate missing and/or disappeared persons in both countries.

Meeting with Sheriff Schmerber on Friday, February 27, 2015, at the Maverick County Detention Center was Roberto Rene Rodriguez Rios of the Sub-Secretariat of Missing and Disappeared Persons of the State of Coahuila, Mexico to request assistance on finding a Mexican citizen in the United States and to advise Sheriff Schmerber that their joint, binational efforts had already yielded its first positive result in the location of a young man, age 17, from Piedras Negras, Coahuila whom had been reported missing but had been found alive in a shelter in Houston, Texas. Rodriguez Rios noted that this first positive result has inspired his agency to expand their collaboration with Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber. Rodriguez Rios stated that Sheriff’s Schmerber assistance had been critical to finding this young man in Houston.

Sheriff Schmerber stated that Maverick County is hosting a joint, bi-national law enforcement meeting on March 23, 2015, at the Maverick County Detention Center to invite and expand the number of Texas Sheriff’s Departments participation with the State of Coahuila authorities. Sheriff Schmerber noted that he is inviting Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, Zavala County Sheriff Eusevio Salinas, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other agencies to attend this first meeting in the United States of this bi-national collaborative project.

Sheriff Schmerber noted that he is also inviting Secretariat Juan Jose Yanez Arreola of the Sub-Secretariat of Missing and Disappeared Persons to attend this March 23rd meeting in Eagle Pass, as well as the Coahuila Attorney General Homero Ramos Gloria and Coahuila Secretary of Government Victor Zamora Rodriguez.

The first positive yield of locating a young man from Piedras Negras, Coahuila is encouraging and motivating to continue collaboration between the State of Coahuila and Texas law enforcement agencies, stated Sheriff Schmerber.