Monday, January 16, 2006
Ask And Ye Shall Receive - Almost
Wow! That didn't take long! In my posting dated January 13,
2006 entitled "What Do The Police Think?" - which can be viewed
by clicking on the link 2006.01.08 at the bottom of this page -
I wondered how our police chief, John Hensley, felt about the
current scheme proposed by our city council regarding the
potential cross-designation of Costa Mesa police officers to
perform immigration screening. Then, this morning, the Orange
County Register published an interview with Chief Hensley on
this subject.
In the interview Chief Hensley, recently elected as President of the Orange County Police Chiefs and Sheriff's Association, gave us a little peek into his opinion of this new challenge for the men and women of his department. He expressed concern that some victims of crimes might be reluctant to report the crime to the police for fear of being deported. He specifically used as an example a woman victim of spousal abuse being reluctant to report the crime because she and/or her husband might be deported. The chief assured us that such would not be the case - that the crimes for which the immigration assessment would be triggered are the 28 crimes identified as "aggravated felonies". He went on to explain that he didn't think the Costa Mesa police officers "actually 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." After reading that comment I felt both comforted and apprehensive at the same time. I felt comforted because the chief's on top of the issue and apprehensive because it sounds like there is a lot training of necessary before his crew can take on this expansion of their duties.
Perhaps the most telling comment from the chief was his answer to the question, "Did you take a position on the city ordinance?" Chief Hensley is quoted as saying, "No, I did not. I wasn't asked my position by the council." Of course, while I was disappointed, that reply didn't surprise me. The majority on our council had already made up their minds and obviously didn't want any credible opinions expressed by our city's top law enforcement officer to clutter up their decision.
So, we still don't know how the chief feels about this scheme, only that he's apprehensive about the application of the ordinance and the possible reluctance of victims to report crimes for fear of deportation. We don't know if he feels it will make the streets of Costa Mesa safer. We don't know if he feels this is a good use of public funds. We do know that he feels much training is necessary for the police department members that will be charged with the implementation of the plan. We do know that he's making plans to implement the plan - whichever plan that turns out to be.
During the interview the chief went on to state that he doesn't see the cross-designation happening before the fall. He mentioned that, as part of the process, the city would have to request permission from the Board of Supervisors to train with the Sheriff's Department, then apply to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau.
In the meantime, this issue has divided the community and partisans on both sides continue to posture for the press, apparently trying to sway public opinion in their direction. As far as I can tell, the mayor's plan is favored by most of those willing to share an opinion.
One thing seems clear to me at this point. Since this issue looks likely to drag out until the fall, it will continue to be a hot topic for those candidates running for election in November. Like it or not, each one of them will have to stake out a position and be able to defend it as the year moves on.
4:27 pm pst
In the interview Chief Hensley, recently elected as President of the Orange County Police Chiefs and Sheriff's Association, gave us a little peek into his opinion of this new challenge for the men and women of his department. He expressed concern that some victims of crimes might be reluctant to report the crime to the police for fear of being deported. He specifically used as an example a woman victim of spousal abuse being reluctant to report the crime because she and/or her husband might be deported. The chief assured us that such would not be the case - that the crimes for which the immigration assessment would be triggered are the 28 crimes identified as "aggravated felonies". He went on to explain that he didn't think the Costa Mesa police officers "actually 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." After reading that comment I felt both comforted and apprehensive at the same time. I felt comforted because the chief's on top of the issue and apprehensive because it sounds like there is a lot training of necessary before his crew can take on this expansion of their duties.
Perhaps the most telling comment from the chief was his answer to the question, "Did you take a position on the city ordinance?" Chief Hensley is quoted as saying, "No, I did not. I wasn't asked my position by the council." Of course, while I was disappointed, that reply didn't surprise me. The majority on our council had already made up their minds and obviously didn't want any credible opinions expressed by our city's top law enforcement officer to clutter up their decision.
So, we still don't know how the chief feels about this scheme, only that he's apprehensive about the application of the ordinance and the possible reluctance of victims to report crimes for fear of deportation. We don't know if he feels it will make the streets of Costa Mesa safer. We don't know if he feels this is a good use of public funds. We do know that he feels much training is necessary for the police department members that will be charged with the implementation of the plan. We do know that he's making plans to implement the plan - whichever plan that turns out to be.
During the interview the chief went on to state that he doesn't see the cross-designation happening before the fall. He mentioned that, as part of the process, the city would have to request permission from the Board of Supervisors to train with the Sheriff's Department, then apply to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau.
In the meantime, this issue has divided the community and partisans on both sides continue to posture for the press, apparently trying to sway public opinion in their direction. As far as I can tell, the mayor's plan is favored by most of those willing to share an opinion.
One thing seems clear to me at this point. Since this issue looks likely to drag out until the fall, it will continue to be a hot topic for those candidates running for election in November. Like it or not, each one of them will have to stake out a position and be able to defend it as the year moves on.
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