National Geographic Documentaries Season 2015 Episode 5 Desert Justice

Desert Justice is one of the episodes of the renowned show National Geographic Documentaries season 2015. This episode highlights the struggle of a small town law enforcement department, the Customs and Border Protection Agency, in Arizona, USA. This town, Ajo, is situated in the middle of a desert and shares its borders with Mexico.

The episode begins with a description of the arduous work of the law enforcement department. They patrol the vast desert using all-terrain vehicles and encounter various challenges every day. Criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human traffickers are some of the major issues faced by these officers. The law enforcement department is tasked with monitoring and identifying instances of illegal border crossing and trafficking across the border.

The officers face many issues while performing their duties. The vast desert terrain and extreme weather conditions often impact visibility and make it easy for criminals to escape. The government has also installed various surveillance equipment at strategic locations, which help identify instances of illegal entry. However, this equipment is often subject to technical failures due to extreme weather and terrain conditions. Furthermore, required maintenance is often delayed, leading to long periods of downtime.

One example of the difficulties faced by law enforcement in the desert is the story of an officer who was tasked with apprehending a group of smugglers. During the chase, his ATV hit a rock and overturned, causing him serious injuries. The smugglers managed to escape, and the officer had to crawl desperately to call for help. The camera crew captures the pre-and post-moments of this unfortunate incident, bringing the viewers closer to the challenges that the officers face every day.

One issue further highlighted in this episode is the lack of resources available to these beleaguered law enforcement departments. The town of Ajo and its Customs and Border Protection Agency has very few resources at its disposal. It means the officers often have to utilize their own vehicles for patrolling as the available vehicles are of poor quality and inadequate numbers. Such problems are worsened by the fact that the authorities do not have enough funding to provide the officers with equipment that could protect them adequately from the harsh desert conditions they work in on a daily basis.

In the final moments of this episode, the viewers get a glimpse of the impact of such arduous work on the officers performing it. The challenges faced by the Customs and Border Protection Agency affect both their physical and mental well-being. As an example, one officer shares how this challenging environment has put a strain on his personal life. The producers bring the human element of the challenges that law enforcement in the desert face - portray the officers' challenging living conditions and sacrifice to keep a check on illegal activities at the border.

In conclusion, Desert Justice is an eye-opening episode of National Geographic Documentaries season 2015. It highlights the daily struggles of law enforcement officers at Customs and Border Protection Agency to maintain a check on the illegal border activities. The camera crew captures moments that truly showcase the difficulties faced by these officers every day as they carry out their duties. The show provides viewers with a renewed sense of appreciation for the challenging work these officers are tasked with performing every day and highlights the need to offer them the required support to continue performing this critical work.