Chicano Squad
Forty years ago, Houston's Latino community was plagued by discrimination, police violence and a growing number of unsolved murders. With tensions between police and the community at their peak, five young officers were placed in an audacious experiment: A new all-Latino homicide squad, with little training and few resources, assigned to solve the city’s most vicious crimes. Chicano Squad tells the true story of these men, their divided loyalties, and a city on the brink.Hosted by Cristela Alonzo. Produced by Frequency Machine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
December 29, 2020 • 3 min
Five young officers. Hundreds of homicides. A city on the brink. Chicano Squad begins Tuesday, January 5th.
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January 5, 2021 • 49 min
In 1977, the body of 23-year-old veteran José Campos Torres was discovered in the waters of Buffalo Bayou. The city of Houston would never be the same.
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January 12, 2021 • 47 min
When the officers involved in the drowning of José Campos Torres get off with little more than a slap on the wrist and a dollar fine, racial tensions explode at a Cinco de Mayo celebration that will come to be known as the Moody Park Riot. With trust between the Latino community and Houston’s police destroyed and a rising number of unsolved homicides affecting Spanish-speaking Houstonians, the Houston Police Department needs to try...
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January 19, 2021 • 50 min
Growing up in the barrio, with brothers on the wrong side of the law, Cecil Mosqueda had every reason to distrust the police. He became a cop to try and show his family there was a different way. But in the wake of José Campos Torres’ death, his loyalties to his community and his brothers in blue will be tested like never before.
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January 26, 2021 • 46 min
On their first day, the six Latino police officers who will become the Chicano Squad are handed a stack of fifty-two whodunits. These are murder cases with no leads and no hope. Until now.
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February 2, 2021 • 49 min
Just when the Squad has begun to make real headway against the murders plaguing Houston’s Latino neighborhoods, a new, more sinister threat emerges. The Cartels have arrived in Houston - and they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
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February 9, 2021 • 49 min
Officer Jaime Escalante’s tenacious investigative style and work with confidential informants has earned him the fear and respect of the Colombian cartels. But when a police officer is murdered, finding the killers will mean more than just going up against drug dealers – he’ll have to stand up to other police officers, too.
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February 16, 2021 • 49 min
When two little girls go missing in Texas, only 11 days apart, it’s a race against the clock to bring them home safely. One will have the attention of the entire country - the other has the Chicano Squad.
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February 23, 2021 • 49 min
The Chicano Squad has handled cartels, kidnappings, and cop killers. But can they handle corruption from within?
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March 2, 2021 • 53 min
Bobby Gatewood used to be one of the Chicano Squad’s stars, until temptations led him to make bad choices that got him suspended indefinitely. Benched and in financial free fall, how far will Bobby go to try and change his fortune?
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March 9, 2021 • 47 min
After twenty years, the Chicano Squad had an extraordinary 91% clearance rate. But there were some cases where justice eluded even them.
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March 16, 2021 • 41 min
Forty years after it was founded, the Chicano Squad was almost completely forgotten. In our final episode, a look at how a dedicated few made sure the Squad's legacy would live on, and questions about what we can learn from them today.
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