Camden police ask immigrants to report crimes

By DEBORAH HIRSCH •
August 31, 2009
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CAMDEN — Seeking to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the immigrant community, Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson and Camden Churches Organized for People will meet tonight to talk about crime prevention and victims' rights.




City and Latino community leaders say that illegal immigrants often do not report criminal activity or unfit housing conditions for fear that they will be reported to immigration enforcement officials. As a result, criminals and landlords have learned to take advantage of them.

This is not a new phenomenon, but "with our ever-growing immigrant population it is more important than ever that we reinforce their trust in our department," Thomson said in an e-mail.

Jose Bello, a staff member at St. Andrew's, said police have already assured community leaders that they're not in the business of enforcing immigration law. This meeting will be a chance for them to reiterate to the public that police have no plans to bother illegal immigrants unless they commit a crime like anyone else.

"We're going to do whatever we can to help our undocumented brothers," Bello said.

It's not clear how many illegal immigrants live in the city, but residents say the number has increased dramatically over the past few years. According to the latest available Census data, the city is home to about 30,000 Hispanics, and a growing percentage of them hail from Mexico and Central America.

According to an August 2007 directive from the state Attorney General's Office, law enforcement agencies are prohibited from asking any victims, witnesses or people requesting police assistance about their citizenship, nationality and immigration status. Thomson said Camden police do not ask about this when investigating any crime.

Teresa Reyes, associate director of The Romero Center, a social justice program operated by St. Joseph's Catholic Church, said she's heard that local police have been very kind and understanding to illegal immigrants. Nevertheless, she said, immigrants still avoid contact with them. She said she knows three people who were victims of crime in the past two weeks but didn't call for help.

"They are afraid of the process, not necessarily of the police," she said.


Police may not ask their status, Reyes said, but immigrants might worry what would happen if they are asked to go to court as part of an investigation.

"They just don't want to get involved in anything," Reyes said. "The less they tell people here, the better."

They might also avoid contact with police because they hear stories about officers in other towns targeting suspected illegal immigrants for traffic stops and asking to see papers.

Bello said he's heard at least 20 cases of this happening in the area recently.

"Everybody's afraid of going to Pennsauken because they believe they're going to get stopped," he said.

There's no law against asking suspected criminals about their legal status. However, the attorney general's directive only requires such questioning when officers make an arrest for drunken driving or "any indictable crime" such as aggravated assault, child abuse or other felonies.

Bello said he'd like to see ordinances that prohibit police from asking for immigration status during traffic stops.

Thomson said his goal is to improve the quality of life for Camden residents, regardless of ethnicity or status. He noted that many of those who commit crimes against illegal immigrants are also illegal immigrants.

Police Inspector Mike Lynch said last fall that the department has been deploying more Spanish-speaking officers to neighborhoods with large populations of Hispanic immigrants, and also stationed officers near check-cashing businesses that immigrants use to send cash home.

"Our mission to protect life and property does not hinge on a person's possession of a visa or a green card," Thomson said.


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