By Anna Gorman
Times Staff Writer

TIJUANA -- The crimes run the gamut: lighting fireworks, making excessive noise, disobeying an official order, driving while talking on a cell phone.

Fed up with American tourists who break the law during their cross-border trips, Tijuana city officials have published a colorful guide advising visitors how to stay
out of trouble and where to turn if they get into legal jams. The guide warns tourists not to pay bribes to police, suggesting that they instead "politely insist on a written
citation" if officers ask for money.

"We have different legal systems, but the basic rules are the same," Tijuana Mayor Jesus Gonzalez Reyes said. "Don't do in Tijuana what you are not able to do in
San Diego."

The 14-page pamphlet, which is believed to be the first of its kind, is available on both sides of the Mexican border, at police stations, insurance companies and
tourist offices. San Diego officials plan to deliver copies to the area's college campuses and military bases to reach many of Tijuana's late-night revelers.

The guide is Tijuana's most recent step in an effort to alter its image from a lawless Wild West border town to a thriving cultural center. Tijuana has also launched a
public relations campaign to draw tourists to the city's museums and restaurants, and the city's "image committee" is urging shopkeepers to clean up downtown's
Avenida Revolucion.

Tijuana's head of public safety, Martin Dominguez Rocha, said he and the mayor are also cracking down on corrupt police officers as part of the city's
transformation. Dominguez acknowledged that some officers trick tourists into believing they have committed crimes and then scare them into paying illegal fines.

"This guide will help so [tourists] know if their conduct constituted a violation of the law and how much the sanction should be," he said.

The Tijuana government, which came up with the idea for the guide in late summer, has printed 2,000 copies of the pamphlet and 25,000 copies of a smaller
brochure. The first round cost $6,000, and Mayor Gonzalez said he hopes to raise additional funds to print more.

The cover of the guide is hot pink and navy blue, with a photograph of downtown Tijuana and a friendly warning: "Tijuana is your home, act like it." Inside, there are
answers to questions such as: What should I do if my vehicle is stolen in Mexico? What happens if I am caught driving with alcohol on my breath? What should I do
if I find myself in a traffic accident?

The pamphlet also lists what tourists cannot bring into the country, including guns, cattle feed, homemade food and canned meat. The fines for the most common
violations are listed in both pesos and dollars. Visitors can expect to pay at least $12 for disorderly conduct, $21 for being naked in public, $25 for not wearing a
seat belt and $42 for soliciting prostitutes.

Tourists who think their fines are unfair, however, can take their cases to city judges, who are available 24 hours. Mayor Gonzalez said the judges are "there to help
you, there to defend you, there to advise of the things you can do and the things you cannot do."

An average of five Americans are arrested every day in Tijuana, on charges ranging from drag racing to murder, according to a representative from the U.S.
Consulate in Tijuana. Police officers on both sides of the border say they hope the guide will help cut down on minor crimes.

San Diego Assistant Police Chief Adolfo Gonzales said most arrests occur because tourists, drawn to Tijuana by its drinking age of 18 and its popular bars and
dance clubs, are misbehaving and don't think the laws apply to them.

"We think that, because we are from the United States, we can do whatever we want," he said. "That's where we get in trouble."

Other visitors, however, are victims of crimes in Tijuana and return to San Diego, frantically asking for police officers to help find stolen cars or track down robbers.

"They get frustrated with us because they say we're not giving a police service," Assistant Chief Gonzales said. "But we can't. The best we can do is take a courtesy
report."

The guide provides telephone numbers and addresses of consulates and tourist offices.

But in case the guide doesn't succeed in keeping tourists out of trouble, it does offer the address of one other key site -- the city jail.