Thread: Paper always negative about arresting "border crossers&

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/124531

Published: 04.14.2006

Bill letting police detain crossers deserves a veto
Our view: Law-enforcement officers already have a lot on their plates
Police should not be in the business of rounding up illegal border crossers, despite the wishes of the Legislature.
As reported by Howard Fischer in Thursday's Star, the House and Senate both narrowly approved Senate Bill 1157, which would give police in Arizona the authority to stop, question and arrest people who are in the country illegally on the grounds of trespassing.
We believe this bill would create more problems than it would solve. Gov. Janet Napolitano has indicated she will veto it. She has the support of police agencies and prosecutors from around the state, who wrote to her and urged a veto.
We believe the immigration problem requires a comprehensive federal solution, and add our voice in opposition to this bill.
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said officers should play a role in enforcing immigration laws.
"I'm not suggesting we become immigration officers," Dever said. "But in our daily encounters, I think we ought to be doing something."
However, an important aspect of police work is trust. The people in our community must be able to trust the police they come in contact with — be it after a car accident, an assault, a robbery, a burglary or just walking on the sidewalk.
Crimes and accidents happen to everyone, and everyone — whether they live in Arizona legally or not — should have equal access to police assistance.
In a March 16 editorial, we said asking police to verify someone's immigration status is an open invitation to practice racial profiling. We also said legislative efforts mandating what police should be doing amount to micromanagement of law-enforcement practices.
If SB 1157 were to become law, it would have a chilling effect on the reporting of crimes and incidents involving illegal immigrants.
People who are here illegally would be reluctant to report crimes knowing that by doing so they could find themselves on the next Immigration and Customs Enforcement bus headed to Mexico. Even a simple fender-bender would become a potentially life-changing event once police start asking about a person's immigration status.
Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall said in a letter to Napolitano that the bill "creates a totally unfunded mandate which would unconscionably drain significant resources needed to protect the public safety of this community."
Police are already taxed with countless responsibilities. If they become enforcers of immigration laws, it can't help but affect other areas of police work. We need police to fight the big threats in our community — catching murderers and drug dealers and keeping our streets safe. We need police for little things, too, like keeping the peace at public events and telling our neighbor to turn down the stereo at 3 o'clock in the morning.
Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, a supporter of the bill, told Fischer that Napolitano could face political consequences in her re-election campaign if she doesn't sign the bill into law. "She's made some promises about getting serious about the border," Pearce said in Thursday's story.
Napolitano should listen to the law-enforcement and legal authorities who have told her the bill is a bad idea and veto SB 1157.
The Border Patrol and other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security should enforce immigration laws.
Police need to have a trusting and cooperative relationship with the community. That relationship would be harmed if a segment of the community begins to fear our officers.

"Same old story, same old song and dance." - Van Halen

Gov. Janet Napolitano has indicated she will veto it. She has the support of police agencies and prosecutors from around the state, who wrote to her and urged a veto.

They could have saved their time writing to her. She could be relied on to veto. Little wonder Arizona is awash with illegals. Every time they try to do anything at all to protect the citizens of Arizona it's regarded as a 'trust' issue. The only thing they should be able to 'trust' the police for is that they will do their jobs of protecting and defending American citizens from this burgeoning horde.

MJ

Our military has a lot on its plate too, lets just stop defending our country.

Originally Posted by WavTek

Our military has a lot on its plate too, lets just stop defending our country.

I thought they already did