Thursday, February 19, 2009

Phoenix cops to check citizenship of suspects

Phoenix police will ask the immigration status of everyone they arrest or cite for committing a crime, under a new policy announced Friday.

The policy will affect people booked into jail, as well as those who are issued a citation and released on misdemeanor charges, said Phoenix police Chief Jack Harris.

If the arresting officer has reason to believe the suspect in a misdemeanor case is an illegal immigrant, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be notified under the new policy, which will take about 90 days to put in place, Harris said.

Under the departments current policy, only people arrested for major felonies are questioned by Phoenix police as to their immigration status.

People stopped for most traffic violations, crime victims and witnesses will not be asked about immigration status under the policy, which was devised by four former prosecutors appointed by Mayor Phil Gordon in December to study the issue.

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