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Monday, January 16, 2006

Police serve all, chief says
John Hensley of Costa Mesa tells illegal immigrants they won't be deported for reporting crime.

By JOHN McDONALD
The Orange County Register

COSTA MESA – Police Chief John Hensley is responsible for implementing his city's resolution that the police department help enforce federal immigration laws. The City Council enacted a law that is limited to jail and investigations personnel in contact with those suspected of some, but not all, felonies. The controversy drew 100 activists to a council meeting, and police had to keep order and made one arrest. Hensley also took office this month as president of the Orange County Police Chiefs and Sheriff's Association.

Q. What impact will the new directive on immigration enforcement have on your department?

A.We're in the early stages of operational development at this point. We're not sure how many employees will be affected by the change in our role. I suspect it will be less than 30. We have 160 sworn officers.

Q. How many people go through your jail?

A.It varies. We have about 400 bookings a month – about 4,800 a year.


Q. Did you take a position on the city ordinance?

A.No, I did not. I wasn't asked my position by the council. The prospect of anybody who is a victim of a crime not coming to us because they fear deportation concerns me. I want anybody who is a victim of a crime to come to us in confidence irregardless of our cross-designation (to enforce federal immigration laws). We'll have to attempt to do community outreach. We want you to call us if you are the victim of any crime. If you are battered by your husband, no matter what your immigration status, she has no fear of deportation if she comes to us.

Q. But her husband might be deported if he is arrested for assaulting her, right?

A.No, domestic violence is not an aggravated felony. There are only 28 aggravated felonies. Her husband wouldn't be deported. I don't think my own officers know which crimes will be aggravated and which aren't. We'll have to make sure they learn. Our mission is to protect everyone. We only go after those who commit crimes.

Q. When are we likely to see the Costa Mesa police taking the immigration-enforcement role set by the City Council?

A.I don't see it happening before the fall. We have to go to the county Board of Supervisors to ask that they allow us to train with the Sheriff's. Then we have to apply to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Q. Have you had communications from other chiefs about the city's ordinance?

A.There have been a number of inquires, and I've e-mailed them our staff report, which was presented to the City Council.

Q. Aside from immigration, what is a key issue facing the chiefs in the coming year?

A.The reduction in funding for crime fighting since 9/11. A lot of the crime-fighting money has been moved to fight terrorism. It's frustrating. The COPs program (which gave federal funds to put local police officers on the street) is nearly gone. We're losing funding for school resource officers and after-school programs. We used to have money for technical improvements, and that's all drying up. We can't turn away from fighting crime in your neighborhoods.

Q. Crime statistics show that crime was going down for several years, but recently there has been a resurgence. Do you think the crime-reduction trend has bottomed out?

A.We've done a good job reducing violent crime, but I've seen a slight increase in property crime. I think we have bottomed out. We were down almost to where we were in the '70s. Now the challenge is to stop it from rising again.

Q. We had the war on drugs in the '80s, the crackdown on gangs in the '90s and the war on terrorism in 2001. What do you see on the horizon as the next major challenge for law enforcement?

A.Terrorism will always be with us, just like rape and murder. What I see as the new crime to fight is identity theft. I just got a notice in the mail that my financial information has been stolen. Our mortgage company sent a box of computer tapes through (a delivery service), and somehow (the delivery service) lost the tapes with the financial information for thousands of customers, including me. The letter said I should check daily to see if anybody is trying to use my identity. I'm going to do it. I am very sympathetic now to those who have been victims of identity theft. When I worked in Manhattan Beach, my boss had his identity stolen, and his credit was ruined. It took him years to rebound from the loss.