3/17/2007 4:00:00 AM
Local officers could be in line for immigration training

By CINDY BARKS
The Daily Courier

PRESCOTT * For months, City Council members have maintained that Prescott should get tougher on illegal immigration issues within its boundaries.

This week, Police Chief Randy Oaks said his department has taken that message to heart.

"We've heard your message loud and clear in the last few months," Oaks told the council during Tuesday's meeting. "We're interested in doing as much as we can, working within the guidelines."

And if the council follows through on one of the ideas that Oaks and City Attorney Gary Kidd outlined this week, the city could broaden its legal guidelines.

Earlier this month, Oaks announced that he had met with representatives of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Department to discuss the possibility of getting immigration training for two or three Prescott Police officers.

This week, Oaks and Kidd went through the steps that would be necessary for such training to take place.

And although the council did not vote on the matter, Mayor Rowle Simmons said after the meeting that he believes the members are strongly behind the proposal. "I think we've got across-the-board support," Simmons said. "One of our major concerns has been not having the ability to enforce some (of the immigration laws)."

Added Simmons: "Basically, we're responding to the public."

Oaks and Kidd emphasized this week that the process leading up to the immigration training could be time-consuming. "We all understand that this is not going to happen overnight," Oaks said.

First, the city must have a formal agreement with the federal agency. The agreement would deal with a number of issues, including the scope of authority and enforcement activities, ICE supervision, and training requirements.


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