'Chicano Squad' on A&E chronicles the work and sacrifice of Mexican-American police team in Houston

Houston was once known as the murder capital of the country. In 1979 alone, there were 664 murders, and one in every four was Hispanic. Discrimination, distrust and a language barrier exacerbated the problem.

Things erupted in 1977 when several Houston police officers killed José Campos Torres, a Vietnam War vet, in 1977. The officers arrested Torres, beat him and dumped him in Buffalo Bayou. The Houston Police Department's Chicano Squad was born out of that strife. The bilingual unit of five Mexican-American police officers was the first of its kind in the U.S.

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Those fledgling officers are the subject of "The Chicano Squad," a two-part documentary series airing Sept. 1 and 2 on A&E. It's an absorbing watch that's both informative and entertaining. It features interviews with original members, reenactments and snapshots of Houston's complex past. The members also gather on-camera at Doña Maria restaurant on Navigation to reminisce about their groundbreaking past.

Earlier this month, Mayor John Whitmire proclaimed Aug. 20 as Chicano Squad Day during a ceremony attended by members U.P. Hernandez, Jose DeLeon, Robert Gatewood, Raymond Gonzales, Jim Montero, Cecil Mosqueda and Jose Selvera Jr. The event marked the 45th anniversary of the Chicano Squad's formation. A premiere was held two days later at the Hobby Center.

The Chicano Squad was originally created to help non-Spanish-speaking detectives with translations during investigations. But Montero knew he waned to assemble a permanent team to help solve crimes in Houston's Latino communities. His original recruits included Selvera, a structured ex-marine; Hernandez, who provided the muscle; and Mosqueda, known as the funny one. The series does a good job of carving out distinct characters and personalities.

"I think Jim, being a savvy vet on the police force, navigated the police politics to get what he needed." says executive producer Sergio Selvera, the son of Jose Selvera Jr. He's one of many family members interviewed for the series, along with former city councilmember Gracie Saenz and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia.

To make an impression, the Chicano Squad wore suits or sport coats, shiny shoes and had perfectly coiffed hair. The group was put in a small room with a single desk, typewriter and chair. They were given 90 days to prove themselves or be sent back to their original jobs. Within that tight time frame, they cleared an astounding 40 cases. Their work is also the subject of a 2021 podcast narrated by Texas-born actress Cristela Alonzo.

The first episode of the TV series focuses on the early buildup and pressure. The work was exhausting and graphic. Hernandez recalls seeing his first dead body and visiting the morgue.

"I'm hearing a saw and I'm thinking somebody's building something around here. He was using it to open the skull. I couldn't eat meat for two weeks," he recalls.

The group faced challenges from all sides, including racism and jealousy from within HPD and, in the wake of Campos' murder, accusations from the city's Latino community of having "sold out" and doing a "white man's job." They built trust by taking a friendly approach to interviewing witnesses, visiting them at home and bonding over food and familia. And because Chicano Squad members grew up in those neighborhoods — Magnolia, East End, Northside — they understood them in ways others could not.

"Somewhere in those houses, there was a señora that's always out there watering the plants or sitting out on that porch that saw something," Selvera says. "You get an Anglo investigator, he's not going to get that information."

The second episode focuses on a pair of cases, one involving the emergence of the Colombian drug trade in Houston; and another about Liliana Reyes, an 18-month-old who was kidnapped from her home. Reyes' kidnapping hits home for the Chicano Squad, who sacrificed time with their own families to help others. The series also puts Reyes' kidnapping in the context of race, contrasting it with the highly publicized case of "Baby" Jessica McClure, another 18-month-old who fell down a well in Midland and attracted worldwide attention.

The Chicano Squad disbanded in 2010 after going through several incarnations and opening the doors for others to move up the ranks. Mosqueda was the last of the original crew.

"I guess we did something good," he says to his Chicano Squad friends.

Hernandez, through tears, sums it up beautifully.

"I never thought I was gonna get a chance like that. And I proved a point," he says. "I can do this job. These guys can do this job. We all did the job. I'm proud of that. So is my family."