LAPD Union Expresses Some Support For Arizona Immigration Law
While avoiding a political endorsement, the union representing Los Angeles police on Friday argued that Arizona's controversial immigration law does not impose draconian measures outside the bounds of normal law enforcement. Police, the union says, should be trusted not to abuse the additional authority the new law grants.
The law, the board of directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League states on its blog, simply empowers "local and state police officers with the same kind of investigative discretion currently available to federal law enforcement officers."
"While we are not taking a political position on the Arizona law, the fact is that it limits officers' immigration status queries to people who have been legally stopped for some other reason," the LAPPL states. "Even then, officers must have and be able to articulate in a written report the basis for a reasonable suspicion that the person is unlawfully present in the United States."
The union argues that those who believe Arizona's law will "become an excuse to terrorize Hispanics" are not giving professional police officers enough credit. Cops, the union states, face more scrutiny on-the-job than many other public professionals.
The union agrees, however, with the goal of removing those who are in the country illegally:
" ... We think that everyone agrees that removing illegal aliens, who perpetrate crimes in our country, will make us all safer."
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