Tourism expert: Higher police profile

HALRINGEN — A tourism expert suggests a higher police profile and beautification efforts could help overcome negative publicity over recent border violence.

A small group of local government officials and travel business representatives gathered here Monday for lectures on overcoming the decrease in tourism along the border that has followed reports of escalating violence along the Rio Grande.
Peter Tarlow, a tourism expert from Texas A&M University, discussed the benefits of better police visibility, beautification, cooperation among several local agencies and what he called “customer service to tourists.”
Tarlow stressed that “the Valley doesn’t understand the value of tourism security.”

“We underpay our cops and instead of flaunting them we hide,” he said, stressing that tourists generally feel more comfortable among a significant police presence.

Tarlow used an example of Canada’s use of its Mounties — the Royal Canadian Mounted Police — to promote tourism and how the law enforcement agency has become synonymous with the country.

“I think he brings up very good and valid points that I think every community has to keep in mind,” Police Chief Danny Castillo said. “I believe police and public safety take a very critical and vital role in (creating) in a community at least the perception of safety, which is just as important as any statistical data you may be able to bring up.”
Tarlow also suggested that agencies band together to create a “friendly” environment.

“What (individual people) do … reflects on the totality of the community,” he said.
Castillo said the Harlingen Police Department already enjoys strong cooperation with other city offices and surrounding law enforcement agencies.

“It’s not a novel or new idea and I think we’re already doing that at certain levels,” Castillo said. “We work closely with a lot of our surrounding (law enforcement) agencies and we know them very well.”
Victor Treviño, consul general for the Mexican Consulate in Brownsville, said it is important to change the perceptions of Mexico as a violent area and to work with U.S. cities along the border so commerce and travel continue to prosper.

Treviño said border violence is ruining perceptions of the country as a whole in spite of “a lot of things to offer in Mexico that are not related to violence.”
“This (summit) is proof that we are working together on mutual concerns,” he said.
District 1 City Commissioner Larry Galbreath said he agreed with Tarlow’s suggestions later in the lecture about
beautification to attract tourists.

“With a history in the nursery business I’ve always advocated beautification in the city,” he said. “The bottom line is money; you have to spend money to make money and I think it’s important to go ahead and really beautify the area even more.”