TPWD Law Enforcement on the Rio
The early morning sun begins to announce its presence in the Rio Grande Valley as the radio squawks “Raft in the water at Avocado Landing”
“Hmmm, they’re at it again”
“Yep”
And the day begins. The usual river traffic coming from upriver. The never-ending cat and mouse game has begun as the sun rises. We had day shift this rotation which meant the shift began at 6am and ended at 6pm.
Some Game Wardens and Park Peace Officers begin their day before shift, making their way from the hotel to the local HEB to buy groceries for the day, getting ice for their coolers and maybe grabbing a coffee, time permitting, while others grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading out. Eventually everyone will meet up at the “A Park” and load their respective boats with their coolers, portable stoves, Rifles, and backpacks. Of course, depending on the weather the gear list may also include wet weather gear, rubber boots, a warm jacket, cold weather bibs and a hat. A day on the Rio without the proper gear or planning can make for a very long and miserable day.
The typical TPWD boat for patrolling the Rio in support of Operation Lone Star is a 22’ or 25’ Mayak or Tran powered by a 225 Suzuki, Yamaha or Mercury. These boats are marked with the TPWD logo and Game Warden on each side. These boats are well suited for our task of patrolling the Rio Grande. Their size makes them highly maneuverable and optimal for navigating the Rio’s hazards. The size also allows these boats to maneuver the Rio during the times of low water levels.
As the Game Wardens and Park Peace Officers finish loading, they don their body armor and life jacket, make their way to the landing and launch their boat. After parking the truck and trailer their day on the Rio begins. These Game Wardens and Park Peace Officers will spend about sixty plus hours on the river over the seven-day rotation.
The trek to our Area of Responsibility (AOR) from the “A Park” takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. This is dependent on where you assigned for the day and the conditions of the Rio. The Rio has many personalities and are displayed in the form of fog, darkness, rain, water levels, and high winds. It is not uncommon to experience the full range of weather extremes from mid-thirties to 100 degrees from rain to blue skies in the span of one week. Have no doubt she’ll let you know what kind of mood she’s in.
Our Area of Responsibility is a span of approximately 20 miles of rugged river front covered by thick vegetation roughly 20 miles upriver from the “A Park”. Our AOR is broken into 6 sectors and each boat and crew is assigned a sector for the rotation. This area is remote and covered with wildlife management areas, various fields and pastures and 20-to-30-foot bluffs along the river’s edge. Overall, most of this area is not for the faint of heart, especially on the US side. As we make our way upriver there is scattered sections of “the Wall”, nowhere near complete and placed in “strategic” locations throughout the US side. Despite the imposing nature and coldness of the wall, it somehow has a strange novelty about it and is hard to take your eyes off it when moving by it.
Identifiable and distinguishable landmarks are given nicknames to make it easier to recognize key areas. These nicknames are shared and used by all the agencies working this border area. Nicknames denote landmarks or key features, man-made or otherwise such as “Avocado Landing”, “Tres Palmas”, “Green Gate” “Ho Chi Minh”, “Beach Landing” and of course the infamous “Bulls Balls”. Situational conditions are communicated by way of radio between the various agencies. Radio traffic can be a language all its own and to be effective on the Rio, a language you must be fluent in. Throughout the shift this border lingo and unique monikers are utilized amongst helicopters, blimps, drones, land units and other boats to relay information regarding possible activity on both the Mike side and US side. The “Mike Side” is what we commonly use to refer to the Mexican side of the border.
Most of the time life on the river can be slow paced and uneventful. Essentially a boat and crew are assigned a post to guard and if no activity occurs in your area of responsibility it can make for a long day and even longer rotation. This most definitely resembles guard duty, for those having spent time in the military. Given the winding nature of the river it can be a challenge to set up in a location where you can observe a large amount of river. Ironically, it is not uncommon to have activity just around the bend of the river and just a few hundred yards from your location as the crow flies. This is why the partnership and communication between the various law enforcement agencies and TPWD Law Enforcement is so valuable. Without the cooperative nature between the different agencies this operation would be completely ineffective.
Working with the US Border Patrol, US Customs and the Texas National Guard air assets allow TPWD Law Enforcement to reposition and move to areas where potential crossers have assembled and many times even inflated a raft and are moving toward the river. These air assets serve as the eyes of our efforts on the river and when available are extremely important to our ability to deter and counter any activity on the Mike side.
Throughout the day there are many visitors, both on the US Side and Mike Side. The uniqueness and beauty of the Rio Grande Valley cannot be denied. The climate, terrain, vegetation and ruggedness are the home of a plethora of species ranging from bobcats, coyotes, racoons, snakes and birds, to name only a few. Throughout the rotations many of us are blessed to witness mother nature continue her work despite the chaos man has created along the banks of this “Grand River”. If you are lucky, you will be blessed with a dark sky and endless stars, sunsets and sunrises with indescribable colors that splash across the sky, or the rare site of two indigo snakes conducting a mating ritual on the river bank. It can be difficult at times to take a moment wrapped in your body armor, while the radio squawks and your rifle at your side to notice and appreciate the wonders of this unique place.
However, this natural beauty is not to be out done by the other visitors. Throughout the day we are visited by our counterparts on the Mike side that are always keeping an eye on where we are and what we’re doing. While some of them “attempt” to guise their activities by casting a line with no hook or bait or having some family picnic near a known crossing, many don’t bother with concealing their scouting activities at all. They just take out their phones and start videoing or taking pictures, relaying our location and activities to their bosses. Of course, we do the same and report their activities to our bosses. On occasion these visitors will shout at us, communicate by “sign language” and even throw rocks.
Despite the long hours and at times slow pace, one of the most important benefits of this time on the Rio are the relationships that are built. Operation Lone Star like its predecessor Operation Strong Safety and Secure Texas has crafted a quilt that has been stitched together by the hours spent with other Wardens and Park Peace officers from around the state. It has allowed the introduction of an Older generation to a Newer generation, the City dwellers and Country folk and all the differences that you can imagine. It’s an opportunity to see classmates and partners you may not have seen in years. An opportunity to meet counterparts in another division and realize that we are not as different as we thought. The discussion topics while passing the hours can be limitless and range from Sports, Politics, Family, Health and yes to the “great” decisions our leaders in Austin make. And although we may not always see eye to eye on a variety of topics, in the end it is humor, sarcasm and laughs that prevail. These hours spent learning and interacting among each other have yielded new friendships and memories, and in many ways has reaffirmed the human side of our Law Enforcement family to each other.
So, what does this Operation mean to us? Probably not what you think. At the end of the day, we are executing a mission assigned to us. We all took an oath and have a tremendous amount of pride in our duty and profession. Sure, we have our opinions to the effectiveness of this operation, the truth of the Border and the politics of the day. But ultimately none of that plays in the day-to-day task of prepping and executing this mission and taking care of one another up river. Bottomline we will let the others consume themselves with those matters beyond our reach, for us what we want, is to be lead in a responsible way, continue to be provided the necessary and safe equipment needed and most important of all, return home to our moms, dads, wives, husbands, and kids.
Adios and be safe.