ACLU accuses OHP of racial profiling
Thursday, December 4, 2008 1:35 AM EST
By Nick Carrabine NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sent a letter to the Ohio Highway Patrol Ashtabula Post warning them that targeting people based on their race is illegal and should not be tolerated.

Jeffrey Gamso, ACLU of Ohio legal director, said his group has received numerous reports of Latinos who reside, work or travel through Ashtabula County being stopped, searched and detained without due cause.

Reports suggest the OHP also has called Immigration and Customs Enforcement and detained legal residents even if they produce proper documentation showing they are lawfully in the United States, Gamso said.

"This is a transparent attempt by the OHP to check the immigration status of Latinos in the area under the guise of investigating possible traffic violations," he said. "They are flagrantly violating the rights of innocent people by detaining lawful immigrants and targeting anyone who appears to be of Hispanic origin."


OHP Post Commander Lt. Mike Harmon said allegations of racial profiling are false.

"Ashtabula does have a large population of undocumented individuals and just through our normal duties, we have common contact with them and when we do, we follow our division policy," he said. "Our division policy is to contact immigration officials.

"I've met with the groups who were involved in sending us this letter and they asked us to look the other way when regarding immigration issues," he added. "We cannot do that."

Harmon ensured the ACLU that all traffic stops are due to probable cause and during those stops, they are often presented with forged identifications, which is a felony in Ohio.

"We can't look the other way," Harmon said.

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