Viewpoints: Why police chiefs support sanctuary cities
With an estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the United States, talk of a crackdown on illegal immigration has created tension in cities across the country.
For America’s police chiefs, calls for enhanced enforcement of federal immigration laws bring a particular concern. Chiefs are afraid that such efforts will have the unintended consequence of actually increasing crime and making their communities less safe. The reasons for this can be found in recent incidents from some of the country’s so-called sanctuary cities.
In Tucson, Arizona, for example, an undocumented man confronted and struggled with a man who tried to steal a car with children inside. The immigrant held the criminal long enough for police to arrive, then cooperated with detectives in the follow-up investigation. As a result, the suspect was charged with kidnapping, auto theft and burglary.
In Laredo, Texas, Sister Rosemary Welsh runs Casa de Misericordia, which provides shelter to women, many of whom are undocumented immigrants and victims of domestic violence. Because of the trust Sister Rosemary has built with local law enforcement and the women in her facility, more victims are reporting crime, and more offenders are identified and prosecuted.
Los Angeles, a city with an estimated 375,000 undocumented immigrants, has had a policy prohibiting police from engaging in enforcement activities based solely on a person’s immigration status since 1979. Last year, LAPD officers had an encounter with a suspected gang member that resulted in a vehicle chase, a foot pursuit and shots being fired. An undocumented immigrant helped police locate the suspect by providing a description and vehicle information.
Had these undocumented people, and countless others in cities across America, not stepped forward to report crime and cooperate with the police, we would have more dangerous offenders committing more crime — and more serious crime — against innocent victims.
http://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/viewpoints-why-police-chiefs-support-sanctuary-cities/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=8ce98b8e35-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-8ce98b8e35-228635337
= new reply since forum marked as read
