Center of the storm: 100 Police Chiefs Gather to Talk Immigration

America's Voice Blog

Posted 07/28/09 at 09:20am

Police The stories have barely begun before the frustration boils over.

Those of us who came to observe the convening see the nods and sense the recognition as more stories came out. Police chiefs have journeyed from Mesa, AZ, Prince William County, VA, Salt Lake City, UT... from all across the US. It wasn't at first obvious to an outsider what these police chiefs had in common, but after an hour's worth of discussion it became clear:

They've all been caught at the center of an immigration fire storm, without ever choosing to be there.

Several police chiefs participating in the Police Executive Research Forum's daylong summit on local immigration enforcement explained what it is like to be stuck in the middle. They described how local politicians pandering to an extreme base had created policies that severely compromised public safety. Chief George Gascon of Mesa, AZ, alluding to his battle with the Maricopa County's Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his infamous neighborhood sweeps, lamented:

"I have seen the ugly side of this enforcement."

What do these chiefs want instead?

Consensus on this one -- they just want to do their jobs: ensuring the safety of the communities they serve.

Police chiefs and many of the associations that represent them, the Major Cities Chiefs, the Police Foundation, and now the Police Executive Research Forum, have increasingly been standing up to say just that. In order to keep the entire community safe, police must count on everyone's trust. They want out of the firestorm, which means the federal government must step up to do its job. And, as Phoenix Chief Jack Harris expressed the sentiment of the group, stating:

"It needs to be done sooner rather than later."

What about the pushback from the anti-solutions, anti-immigrant groups? A few weeks ago at a press conference in Miami, that city's police chief, John Timoney, stood up to call for federal action on immigration. But, he was asked by a local reporter how he would respond to angry community members who wanted him to go after undocumented immigrants. The gist of his response was:

"I would wait until crime rates started going back up because immigrants were afraid to talk to the police." Timoney paused, and added, "Then, I would ask them, 'Are you happy now?'"