The Associated Press
Posted: 12/18/2009 11:04:17 AM PST
Updated: 12/18/2009 11:04:19 AM PST
LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles' new police chief says he will continue a decades-old department policy that prevents officers from stopping people only to investigate their immigration status.
Chief Charlie Beck said Friday he does not think his department should be the primary enforcer of immigration laws. He says this would harm community relations and discourage illegal immigrants from reporting crimes to police.
So-called Special Order 40 has been in place since 1979. A 2007 legal challenge by officers who support checking immigrant status was thrown out last year.
Officers still alert immigration officials if a suspect is a gang member who has been previously deported, or if a suspect is arrested for a felony or multiple misdemeanors.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_14026250
[Posted by: Gloria J.]
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