Immigration debate nearly cost George Gascon his job

by Nathan Gonzalez -
Jul. 23, 2009 09:44 AM
The Arizona Republic .

There were several nights outgoing Mesa Police Chief George Gascón questioned whether he was on the right side of the illegal immigration debate.

"Getting home at nighttime, after a long day at work," Gascón recalled, "reflecting on the day and questioning myself: 'Am I doing the right thing?'"

Vocal segments of the public and political officials routinely blasted Gascón and his approach to illegal immigrants within the city borders.

Critics charged that by not sharing the similar stance as Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has become known for ordering regular sweeps of illegal immigrants, Gascón was turning Mesa into a sanctuary.

"There have been some times when things have been complicated," said Gascón, who leaves Friday to become the chief in San Francisco. "In taking a principle-based standing in an area that is very unpopular because it draws so many emotions."

It's only now, as Gascón prepared to step down, that he has spoken about how the intense immigration debate nearly cost him his job in April, when he returned from testifying before a congressional panel in Washington, D.C.

Gascón and other Valley officials were invited to testify about the federal 287(g) program, which allows local police to enforce immigration law.

After returning Gascón released a statement saying he would pay for his trip, which was initially paid for by Respect Respeto, a local non-profit group.

While many will only remember the outgoing chief as being soft on illegal immigration, Gascón used a Tuesday press conference to highlight accomplishments made during his tenure.

When he arrived in June 2006, Mesa had about 54 crimes per 1,000 residents, according to police data. That has been on a steady decline and sits at 38 crimes per 1,000 residents.

"We had way too much crime for a city with our demographics," Gascón said. "At that time New York was around 32 serious crimes per 1,000 residents and LA was right around 33."

The last time the city was below 40 crimes per 1,000 residents was in 1963, when Mesa had fewer than 60,000 people, instead of the nearly half-million today.

Between January and June, the city's most violent crimes such as homicide, rape and assaults were down 34 percent from the same period in 2006, according to recent police statistics. That comes as significant crime reductions are being seen nationwide, as violent crime dropped 2.5 percent, according to the FBI.

The dropping numbers came as the economy tanked, which forced city leaders to cut the police department's budget 8.25 percent and slash overtime 90 percent.

"I don't know of many police departments in the country that could lose as much as we have, maintain the productivity we have, and continue to lower crime at a rate that we have," Gascón said.

Investigators have also targeted organized crime, and within the past six months have seized $664,580 in cash, 345.5 pounds of marijuana, 40 firearms and one grenade, in a series of 64 search warrants that led to 42 arrests, according to police.

Gascón arrived as an assistant chief from the Los Angles Police Department to head an agency rattled by scandal involving the improper use of city e-mail. He then replaced 10 of 14 members of the command staff.

Before he took control of the department, Gascón said he spoke with some officers who complained of a disconnect and lack of communication with their command staff.

"There were a couple sexual assault cases," Gascón recalled. "One that was over two weeks old and the information hadn't even got to the detective yet. To me that would be unacceptable on many levels. I find it to be grossly negligent."

Such a backlog meant police administrators didn't have real time information, Gascón said. Organizing that information involved compiling real time statistics so officers knew where to deploy limited resources.

The department also looked at cutting-edge programs and grant funding that allowed its forensic science laboratory to clear its backlog of DNA work. Officials are also working with Lockheed Martin to be the only non-federal police agency to pilot a portable device to process samples for DNA in less than a half-hour.

To ensure the department remains on the cutting-edge and programs continue, Gascón said his successor should come from within.

Already his three assistant chiefs - Mike Denny, Mike Dvorak and John Meza - have thrown their names in for the spot. In the meantime, interim-Chief Vicki Myers said she will continue the work already set in motion.

"One of the reasons I came here was to work and learn from Chief Gascón," Myers said. "We have many of the same thoughts, views and ideas that relate to a progressive professional agency."

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa ... n0724.html