More Danger to Community-Oriented Policing

Trump Signs 3 Executive Orders, Addressing Immigration and Policing

President Donald Trump has directed his administration to compile a list of “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with federal enforcement of immigration laws. How will this affect progressive community-oriented policing in these cities? A lot.

The following quotes are from today’s news article from The New York Times as President Trump signed three more executive orders, including one targeting local jurisdictions that the administration says are not cooperating with its aggressive immigration crackdown. 

Two of these orders directly affect local state and city policing. [The bold-type emphases are mine.]

“One order directs Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that the Trump administration considers ‘sanctuary cities, ’meaning they limit or refuse to cooperate with federal officials’ efforts to arrest undocumented immigrants. It calls for pursuing “all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures” against jurisdictions that continue to oppose the administration’s immigration crackdown.

“A second order instructs the Trump administration to provide legal resources to police officers accused of wrongdoing; review and attempt to modify existing restraints on law enforcement, such as federal consent decrees; provide military equipment to local law enforcement; and use enforcement measures against local officials who ‘unlawfully prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying out duties…’

To understand what is happening one must read between the lines and remember the work police leaders like me did in the 1970s with the use of policy (organizational rules) to develop police services and practices that are more professional and community-oriented.

These recent executive orders, put undocumented people under immediate threat of deportation, it also puts them in danger of being victimized and unable to contact local police for help or protection. It is the duty of police to protect and serve everyone in their community regardless of their immigration status!

These orders put community policing efforts in danger. “The Trump administration has already sued the city of Rochester, N.Y., accusing officials there of illegally impeding immigration enforcement. And the Justice Department is prosecuting a Milwaukee judge on charges of obstructing immigration agents….”

There is even more… Now we have a “Perp-walk” on the lawn of the White House as poster-sized mug shots of immigrants who were accused of committing crimes are displayed. This is bad theater and comes along with the President’s constant haranguing on the election trail and now in the White House that all immigrants are “murderers, rapists, and drug-dealers” to justify his actions.

Further, “Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said Democratic governors and mayors were waging a ‘war’ against federal law enforcement. They don’t recognize the supremacy of federal law enforcement to protect the lives and livelihoods of American citizens against a foreign nation… [T]hose Democratic-led cities were allowing ‘illegal aliens to go free and rape and murder…”

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security was reviewing billions of dollars in grants for cities and states to make sure recipients complied with Mr. Trump’s priorities on immigration enforcement and other domestic policies…”

Other “domestic policies,” and there’s the rub as to how the Trump administration can force, under federal economic threat, to restrain police leaders from caring for and protecting every resident in their jurisdiction and even how they might be restrained from discipling officers who don’t follow department policies which call for restraint and discretion in enforcing laws.

If you think turning the police on our country into an arm of a tyrannical government, I urge you to read this article on how police in Germany came to support Hitler.

We are experiencing a very dangerous turn of events. Mayors and Police Chiefs beware!

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The above news quotes are from today’s NYT article by Luke Broadwater and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, White House correspondents. You can read the full article HERE.