Feds study Phoenix kidnappings for international links

by Jayme West/KTAR (March 30th, 2009 @ 6:35am)

Policy >>

Comments:11

Federal agents will be camping out at Phoenix police headquarters this week, looking over information on home invasions and kidnappings during the past year.

Lt. Lauri Burgett with the Police Department's Home Invasion-Kidnapping Enforcement Task Force, known as "HIKE," said the visit is in response to growing interest on whether the city's kidnappings have international connections.

"Whether that association is actually from a drug cartel in Mexico, I think that's very important in establishing what kind of threat that is to the United States and Arizona, specifically."

Burgett added, "There's a lot of questions from Washington, D.C., and Homeland Security about what our kidnapping problem is, and a lot of questions can't be answered unless somebody reads all the reports."

She said the federal agents "are going to come in and work as analysts for us and provide themselves some intelligence by reading our reports and doing some investigative analysis on it basically."

Burgett said, "There is a lot of information in there that they can try to dysect to answer their own questions."

She said the questions include "the victims, where are they from, some of the nationality questions about where suspects are from, why they're doing that they're doing, whether or not the hits are ordered -- the kidnappings are ordered by someone else -- whether or not it's coming from a drug cartel."

Last 5 Comments

• 0 Reply Abuse Vote

  I guess there are

  Cookie

  a lot of questions from Washington DC and Homeland Security about what our kidnapping problem is. Well the way I see it is: If it is true that "insatiable" U.S. drug consumption drives the war, then is must be equally true that the illegal aliens' "insatiable" desire to come to the U.S illegally is the cause of the violence and kidnappings!!

  8878
• 0 Reply Abuse Vote

  WHAT???

  Patrick H

  What is there to STUDY??? It doesn't take a genius to see that Illegals are at the root of all of the crime that is occurring in this country. They are bringing in drugs by the TONS and Illegals are entering this country at record numbers. If you don't want criminals in your house you secure it ANY WAY you can!!! And this countries doors are WIDE OPEN!!! A MORON can figure out where the problem lies and what to do about it. But our Politicians can't agree on the time of day!!! So by the time they act (If they ever do) it will be way too late!!! This is the Biggest THREAT to this nation since the 2nd World War!!!

  8864
• 0 Reply Abuse Vote

  This is sad

  Jamsan

  I am 100% for human rights. Our families all came here from somewhere, but wow in todays era these countries should tap into their best known natural resouces to give them a competitive edges, and create work/income for their people. They are coming here like crazy, because their country is not doing anything for them.

  8828
• 0 Reply Abuse Vote

  racial profiling.

  NenaBubba

  Arizona should sue the coyotes for racial profiling. Where are the protesters to protest that the coyotes are racial profiling?

  8827
• 0 Reply Abuse Vote

  If these victims

  Jeff J

  have 5 or 10 thou to throw at at coyote, then why don't they apply the correct way to become a citizen??? Oh, nevermind, I forgot. They don't want to become citizens. JJ

  8824
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