Thread: Phoenix Police Chief and Mayor Battling Over Illegals!!!

Phoenix chief at odds with Gordon
Harris: Chasing migrants would drain resources

Judi Villa and Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 18, 2007 12:00 AM

"As Phoenix crafts a more aggressive immigration-enforcement policy, Police Chief Jack Harris on Monday strongly defended the current policy, saying significant changes could cripple the department's efforts to fight violent crime.

Harris' comments mark his first public statements since Mayor Phil Gordon announced earlier this month that he no longer supported Operations Order 1.4, the policy that prevents police in many cases from asking about someone's immigration status.

The looming changes could tie up limited police resources and lead to allegations of racial-profiling, Harris said. The chief also pointed to the "Baseline Killer," "Serial Shooter" and "AM Rapist" cases, which were lengthy, manpower-intensive investigations."

"Do you want me to take the people that were working the Goudeau case and have them chase corn vendors? Don't think so," Harris said, referring to Mark Goudeau, the Baseline Killer suspect who was arrested in September 2006 in connection with nine murders.

"If you were in my position, would you take those very limited resources and divert them to go after landscapers and dishwashers because they're in the country illegally? Sorry. I've been a cop for 36 years. I disagree with that concept."

The operations order became a lightning rod for criticism in September after Phoenix police Officer Nick Erfle was shot to death by an undocumented immigrant. It prevents police from asking about immigration status when the person is a crime victim or witness, when officers are contacted during family disturbances that do not lead to domestic-violence charges, when a person would be cited and released for a misdemeanor offense and when the person is stopped for traffic violations. Police also cannot stop a person solely to determine immigration status.

Across the country, policies like Phoenix's have come under attack by foes of illegal immigration who say the rules encourage unlawful border-crossing.

Gordon is pushing back against claims he is running a "sanctuary city" for immigrants. He has said the new policy, to be developed by a four-man advisory panel, should allow police to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement when any law has been violated by a person police suspect of being an illegal immigrant.

But Harris said altering the operations order could change the focus of the Police Department, which is fighting violent crime and taking career criminals off the streets. Harris has created his own working group to evaluate possible policy revisions.

Phoenix police are dispatched to about 784,000 calls for service annually, and diverting officers to enforce immigration laws could hamper response times, Harris said.

"I think the policy of the Police Department not getting involved in routine immigration is the appropriate one," Harris said. "And that will continue to be my recommendation to the mayor and the City Council and the city manager, is that routine immigration enforcement is not something that should be put into the hands . . . of local law enforcement. It's a federal issue."

Gordon, in an e-mail Monday, said he and Harris are in "complete agreement that our officers will not do routine enforcement or roundups."

"They will remain on the streets, fighting crime and arresting criminals," Gordon said.

A 'dangerous move'
Revising the policy would put Phoenix in uncharted territory: No major police department in the United States and none in the Valley asks its officers to routinely enforce immigration laws.

Tucson police, though, can inquire about immigration status during routine traffic stops. Officials there equate it to calling the Secret Service if an officer finds a counterfeit bill.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has been aggressively enforcing immigration laws since March 2006. Since then, ICE-trained deputies have arrested or deported more than 1,200 people. But just last week, an immigrant who was legally in the United States filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office alleging racial-profiling. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has denied the assertion.

"If Phoenix does change its policy, that's a very dangerous move," said Lynn Tramonte, deputy director for legislative affairs at the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant organization.

The policies that a majority of cities adhere to are a cornerstone of community-policing efforts that encourage victims to report crime, Tramonte said. Very few cities have changed their policies, but many have fought to keep them intact.

The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police all have issued statements recently in support of policies that limit immigration enforcement.

"We cannot do our job if we start asking immigration status," said Officer Joanna Abad of the Houston Police Department, whose policy mirrors Phoenix's Operations Order 1.4. "These people are witnesses or victims of crime, and if we start enforcing federal law, we will probably tie their hands up as far as them calling us.

"It's very hard to ask a witness to come forward in a murder if they're afraid they'll be deported."

It is a misconception that such policies protect immigrants who commit crimes, Tramonte said. "These policies don't provide sanctuary to criminals," she said.

Phoenix's statistics seem to bear that out.

Police arrests
Last year, Phoenix police arrested 3,500 illegal immigrants and notified ICE about them. An additional 200 people were turned over to ICE after their status was discovered during criminal investigations, such as at drophouses. From Jan. 1 through Nov. 1, Phoenix police turned over 1,275 undocumented immigrants to ICE after they were found either in drophouses or hidden in vehicles. In addition, 10 ICE agents are embedded in Phoenix police's Violent Crimes Bureau, working side by side with detectives investigating murders, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes. Numbers of arrested immigrants handed over to ICE this year weren't available Monday. Immigration status also is checked every time a person is booked into jail.

"I think there's a little bit of a misnomer out there that Phoenix Police isn't doing anything," Harris said. "We're doing more than anybody in the state."

Still, with the city on the brink of change, the controversy has created mixed reactions among elected officials, with Councilman Michael Johnson saying that if he was investigating a crime, misdemeanor or felony, he would "still want . . . to at least make contact" with ICE. Johnson is a retired Phoenix police officer.

Councilman Tom Simplot said there's a "delicate balance" that has to be struck between amending the operations order to give police "more tools" and preserving individual rights.

"On one side, there's the argument that by changing the operations order . . . we're opening a Pandora's box," Simplot said. "I don't believe that's true. I do believe there is a middle ground and that if the operations order is amended appropriately, there will be limitations on the use of that tool."


http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoe ... s1218.html

Please vote in this poll regarding the Mayor and Police Chief......

Bottom left of screen!!

http://www.azcentral.com/#poll

Do you think that if Phoenix police are allowed to check immigration status, it will divert resources away from more important cases?

No
83.16%

Yes
16.84%

Total Votes: 95

Moved to News Stories from Gen Disc.

Do you think that if Phoenix police are allowed to check immigration status, it will divert resources away from more important cases?
No.
81.03%
Yes.
18.97%
Total Votes: 485