Appeals court: LAPD immigrant policy can stand
The Associated Press
4:44 p.m. June 17, 2009

LOS ANGELES — An appeals court panel has upheld the Los Angeles Police Department's policy under which most people who are questioned are not asked about their immigration status.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeals was published Wednesday. A lower court ruled last year that the policy, called Special Order 40, is constitutionally sound.

In 2006, Harold Sturgeon filed suit claiming the policy violates state and federal law by prohibiting full cooperation between police and federal immigration authorities.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California argued that the policy makes the city safer because residents can report crimes without fear of being deported.

The policy, which has been in effect for 30 years, is designed to build trust between police and immigrant communities.

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