KRGV.com

HIDALGO - A Valley police chief says cartel threats against police departments happen all the time. CHANNEL 5 NEWS obtained a DPS memo warning the Gulf Cartel would open fire on police officers to protect the load.

Hidalgo Police Chief Vernon Rosser gets dozens of alerts, tips and warnings every day. That intelligence comes from his officers, informants or the feds.

"You have to take intelligence for what it is," says Rosser.

He says part of his job is sorting the good info from the bad. Rosser says good information is specific.

"Something that's tangible, something that the officers can see who it is," says Rosser.

His officers will be using intelligence to look for a vehicle used in a shooting at a car wash in Edinburg on Thursday. He says that's a helpful tip. The memo he got in his inbox the other day was not. It came from the DPS.

The letter, citing FBI information, warned departments in the McAllen area that the Gulf Cartel was willing to open fire in order to protect a valuable load moving south.

"It's either going to be one of two things: money or drugs," says Rosser.

Rosser says that's information his officers take with them every day. They don't need a memo to know cartels are willing to open fire. These tips come in all the time. He says the threat from the cartels is constant, so this is no more than a reminder for his officers to stay alert.