Brentwood native Corey Hunt traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in the hope of giving his fellow Americans a glimpse of the situation down there – a situation that has a number of roots leading directly back to the United States, from growing drug consumption to guns and illegal immigration. This week is the first of his two-part report.

I walk up to the police checkpoint, arousing suspicion from the security forces standing guard, just as any visitor would at the headquarters of Mexico’s Federal Police forces in Ciudad Juarez, a border city separated from El Paso, Texas, by the Rio Grande.

Armed commandos stand around me, scanning my passport and transcribing the information on my media credentials. As a blond American from San Francisco, it’s clear that I don’t exactly fit the description of a foot soldier or an informant working at the behest of Mexico’s most infamous drug lords, but the “Federales” take no chances.

Eventually, I’m escorted into the command center, a policeman at my side who, like all the federal officers who have flooded Ciudad Juarez, makes it clear that he’s in control – and carries an assault rifle to back it up.

This was the scene that unfolded before I was introduced to Officer Ulises Rodriguez, who was kind enough to help answer some of my questions about Mexico’s ongoing struggle to wrest control of its northern border from drug cartels who have turned Ciudad Juarez – once an economic powerhouse and world-class city – into one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Violence – often of Al-Qaeda- and jihadist-style proportions – has erupted since the drug cartels were drawn out from the shadows and forced to protect their lucrative trade as President Felipe Calderon fights to rid Mexican society of it. At the same time, the cartels are locked in a bitter power struggle. Strongman Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who heads the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, is intent on driving out the Juarez cartel, which has traditionally controlled its namesake city.

I began by asking Rodriguez about the most recent story that put the city into the international headlines: the shooting of 15-year old Sergio Hernandez by a U.S. border patrol agent in early June.

“This incident was tragic,” said Rodriguez, shaking his head. “But the U.S. authorities are professional – we have a good working relationship with them. Mexican Federal Police and the United States border patrol are working together to figure out what happened. Officials from U.S. law enforcement usually visit Juarez two or three times per week.”

It remains unclear what the teenager was doing at the border, but what is clear is that he is just one of many victims – during the month of June, the city has been averaging as many as 10 homicides per day, according to statistics from the El Paso Times. However, the monthly death toll is down from last summer, which saw more than 300 killings in August. Rodriguez stressed the importance of a trustworthy relationship between the United States and Mexico, stating that the battle against drug trafficking has no boundaries and will involve cooperation on both sides of the border.

While Mexico’s government and its security forces have been organizing and operating in the midst of what many observers consider a war zone, Rodriguez praised the unprecedented coordination between the Federal Police and the Mexican Army, which he described as “excellent.” He added that there have been some problems with the municipal police in Juarez.

“Federal police have the most force in Juarez right now,” he said. “There have been some small difficulties between the federal and local police.” He added that the two police departments are doing their best to exchange intelligence and information vital to the security of Ciudad Juarez.

I asked Rodriguez about the reports that Mexico will be reshuffling its police, merging state and municipal departments to form one force for each state – something I had first heard about during a visit to Tijuana in March.

“This is true,” he said. “It will take a long time … at least five or six years. The changes will bring more efficiency but it will be difficult.”

Just then, Rodriguez was needed back in the office. He thanked me for taking the time to explain to Americans the work he and his fellow officers were conducting in Ciudad Juarez, then told me I could return to the station in the morning for a ride-along with a Federal Police patrol.

I shook his hand, walked back to the checkpoint and found a cab waiting at a taxi stand. I got in, wary of the potential gaze from an unseen adversary that could be watching the station as I was driven back to my hotel.