Thread: CA-Police chief grilled at meeting over drivers lic. checkpo

Police chief grilled at meeting over driver's license checkpoints
By Angela Lau

2:00 a.m. August 18, 2009

ESCONDIDO — Escondido's police chief was grilled last night over the Police Department's controversial driver's license checkpoints that many Latinos see as traps aimed at deporting illegal immigrants.
Despite Police Chief Jim Maher's efforts last night at dispelling what he called lies about checkpoints at a Latino American Democratic Club meeting, he made little headway.
Many of the 55 club members and guests still said that they viewed the checkpoints as an abuse of police power and that they have deterred Latinos from reporting crime.
But Maher said the gap between the number of Latinos and whites who report crime has narrowed.
In 2005, one year after the checkpoints were established, 42 percent of all people who reported crimes were Latino, compared with 51 percent white. Last year, 46 percent were Latino and 47 percent were white, he said.
Maher said that checkpoints have reduced the number of hit-and-run incidents from 600 in 2004 to 433 last year because unlicensed drivers are being taken off the roads.
Everyone is stopped at driver's license checkpoints, he said, not just Latinos. Only those who do not have proper identification are taken to a police station for warrant and criminal history checks.
Those with a criminal past and who are in the country illegally are sent to immigration officials for deportation.
Last year, only one woman was deported because she had been deported years ago and had returned illegally, and there was a judge's order to deport her, Maher said.
“People say they have seen immigration officers at the checkpoints — that's an absolute lie,â€

Escondido's police chief was grilled last night over the Police Department's controversial driver's license checkpoints that many Latinos see as traps aimed at deporting illegal immigrants.

And so what if they are!!! If you're an illegal, you should be deported!