Thread: AZ: Mesa to crack down on illegal immigration

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... N0111.html

Mesa to crack down on illegal immigration

Carl Holcombe
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 11, 2007 11:31 AM


Mesa city officials plan a crackdown on illegal immigration using a variety of technology and collaboration with federal agencies.

Mesa Police Chief George Gascón outlined a plan Thursday at a Mesa City Council study session where possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars would be spent on new equipment, including portable digital fingerprint scanners and license-plate readers that scan randomly from patrol cars, and remote cameras in downtown areas.

The city is also considering red-curb zones where vehicles can't stop or linger, to discourage employers from negotiating with day laborers lingering for hours on city streets who may be undocumented immigrants.

Also, the police would create new databases and information mining software to cross-search multiple databases for intelligence, and embed two U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents in the police department to work on street crimes and share data and improve communication with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"It's a measured, careful approach and we're working got something that's effective," said Councilmember Scott Somers. "The technology not only can go to immigration problems, but drug crimes and other crime problems."

The measures may be implemented within a year.

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That is great news!

Outfreakinstanding! Now, how long before the lawyers get involved and ruin my moment of happiness?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 48323.html

Phoenix suburb targets illegal-immigrant criminals

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, January 13, 2007
Associated Press

PHOENIX – Mesa is moving ahead with a plan to use technology to combat crime officials say is aggravated by illegal immigration.

"We're talking about people involved in [human] smuggling, homicides, drugs, assaults," Police Chief George Gascon told the City Council this week. "It's all about how to make a safer community and fighting crime no matter where the criminals come from."

Chief Gascon outlined a plan in which possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars would be spent on new equipment, including: portable digital fingerprint scanners; license plate-reading cameras that scan randomly from patrol cars or fixed locations; and remote cameras in downtown areas.

The city of 440,000 is also considering "red curb" zones, where vehicles can't linger, to discourage employers from negotiating with day laborers, some of whom may be illegal immigrants.

The measures may be months from implementation, city officials said.

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms would be embedded in the Police Department to work with officers on street crimes and share data and improve communication with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which could help identify illegal immigrants previously deported or arrested.

An information-management component would see police purchasing technology for new databases. Information-mining software would allow cross searches of multiple federal, state and local law enforcement databases for intelligence and other information.

Chief Gascon and City Council members cautioned that stepped-up enforcement would be aimed at protecting illegal immigrants as well as catching those here illegally who commit crimes.