Thread: Police Fear Backlash in Crime-fighting

Police fear backlash in crime-fighting
By Casey Ross
Boston Herald Reporter

Monday, June 5, 2006 - Updated: 05:11 PM EST

While concerned about rampant illegal immigration, some Bay State communities are in a quandary over the issue because of fears that a crackdown will hinder some residents’ cooperation with police.

Immigration and the law: Related articles, multimedia & images ‘Out of control’ Immigration laws make local enforcement a jokeICE query statistics

“It becomes a bigger issue of trust,” Lowell Police Superintendent Ed Davis said. “You can’t have significant numbers of your population afraid to call the police. It becomes a very serious problem.”

In Somerville, Mayor Joseph Curtatone drafted a resolution barring police from becoming involved in immigration enforcement because of worries about the chilling effect it could have on cooperation with investigations.



Meanwhile, police officials in communities that are contending with less street and gang violence are more concerned that they continually have to release illegal aliens they pick up on minor offenses, even when they fear doing so could endanger public safety.

“We don’t even know who these people are,” said Saugus police officer James Scott, who said he became concerned when he began encountering large numbers of illegals driving without licenses.

“No one is out there looking for undocumented aliens,” Scott said. “And when police do stop them on the side of the road, guess what (federal authorities) are still not looking for? No one comes for them.”

Immigrant advocates, meanwhile, echo the concerns of many urban police chiefs, saying that local enforcement of immigration laws will only lead to more unsolved crimes. “For every one undocumented immigrant police may run across, seven to 10 are reporting crimes to their office,” said Ali Noorani of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “If local police take steps to enforce immigration law, those crimes are going to go unreported

Immigrant advocates, meanwhile, echo the concerns of many urban police chiefs, saying that local enforcement of immigration laws will only lead to more unsolved crimes. “For every one undocumented immigrant police may run across, seven to 10 are reporting crimes to their office,” said Ali Noorani of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “If local police take steps to enforce immigration law, those crimes are going to go unreported""




We did fine solving crimes before the mass of Illegals got here, we can do the same without talking to them in an investigation. So, we have to curb an INVESTIGATION into someones legal status in FEAR of the ILLEGAL community not cooperating in other criminal investigations? They are criminals, why would they cooperate in anything having to do with law enforcment anyway? What a nice twist they put on these things to confuse us and get sympathy and have the long arm of the law leave them alone. Its amusing at best. 7-10 Illegals are reporting crimes? for every 1 they come across? I highly doubt that ......

“For every one undocumented immigrant police may run across, seven to 10 are reporting crimes to their office,” said Ali Noorani of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “If local police take steps to enforce immigration law, those crimes are going to go unreported

Noorani should have been asked to PROVIDE VALIDATION for his stats!
Where's the proof?

This Noorani is an idiot and always throws in his 2 cents whenever there is a story with regards to illegal aliens. Police are not allowed to ask status when they arrest illegals and the courtrooms are full of them and nobody even thinks to ask their status. Boston is overrun with illegal aliens of all nationalities and nobody including the Mayor or the Governor do anything about it.