Official knocks city's Secure Communities stance

Associated Press - February 23, 2011 4:05 PM ET

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The head of the Rhode Island state police is criticizing Providence officials for asking to opt out of a federal program that requires communities to run all criminal suspects' fingerprints through an immigration database.

In a news release Wednesday, Col. Brendan Doherty said the request by Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare was "dangerous and irresponsible."

He said the program, called "Secure Communities," was an effective law enforcement tool.

Pare said in a Feb. 10 letter to the Department of Homeland Security that the city does not want to participate in it because it could foster fears in the city's immigrant community and undermine the department's ability to police the city.

Rhode Island is in the process of implementing the system, which is planned to be up nationwide by 2013.

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