July 6, 2005, 7:40AM

Officers told not to photograph illegal day workers
By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... an/3254235

The Houston Police Department has instructed officers not to photograph illegal immigrants seeking day jobs, after an incident last month prompted an outcry from an immigrant rights group.

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Houston police Capt. Juan Trevino made the pledge to 400 people who attended a meeting Tuesday night organized by The Metropolitan Organization, an interfaith grass-roots political action group.

Trevino said that "an isolated handful of officers" took immigrants' photographs after a business owner on North Shepherd recently complained that they "were walking on private property."

Addressing the TMO gathering in Spanish and English, Trevino said that the Houston police department will work with the organization to encourage immigrant workers to seek work at the east side day labor center.

"We have initiated a policy where, at this time, we are instructing all officers that they cannot photograph any of the day laborers that are currently out in the field," Trevino said.

After the meeting at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Trevino said the photographs of immigrants involved "an isolated handful of officers â€â€