Response to SB 1070 Ruling
September 20, 2012
In the wake of the most recent ruling on SB 1070, the Mesa
Police Department, like all other state law enforcement
agencies, must look at our policy and procedure to ensure that
we are in compliance with the law. Training has been provided to
the officers and we are prepared to comply with the new law now
in effect.
As far as the day to day operations of the department, there
should be no noticeable change in what the public sees or the
way that officers respond to their calls. When a person is
lawfully detained, has no presumptive identification and the
officer has reasonable suspicion that the detainee is not
legally in the country, the officer will make the appropriate
calls to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to verify
their status. If the suspect is being arrested, he or she would
be booked as usual. If the detainee is not arrested, the officer
would follow the direction of ICE to detain or release the
person. If ICE is not available, the officer would follow Mesa
Police policy for the documentation of the contact and forward
the information to ICE.
This latest ruling should have no bearing on Mesa Police
officers treating contacts fairly and with respect. However,
make no mistake that the men and women of the Mesa Police
Department are very committed to the suppression of crime in our
community. If there is reason to believe that a person has been
involved in criminal activity, they will be contacted. As a
result of the contact, the person's status may be checked, but
the primary focus, first and foremost, is stopping the criminal
activity that lead to the contact.