The Tucson Police Department plans to begin collecting information about its calls to immigration authorities in a format that would allow for analysis.
Chief Roberto Villaseñor said Tuesday that TPD will create a database and revise the form it uses to collect details of each call.
Officers are required under SB 1070 to call immigration authorities each time they develop reasonable suspicion that a person they have lawfully stopped is in the country illegally. TPD also checks the immigration status of everyone arrested.
The data-collection shift is partly a response to a settlement between the American Civil Liberties Union and South Tucson last month. TPD will likely incorporate ideas from South Tucson’s new form and add additional information, Capt. Ramon Batista said.
The timeline for the database launch is not yet clear. Spokesman Sgt. Chris Widmer attributed delays to the city’s information technology department.
Some members of the City Council wonder why it’s taken so long.
“We requested it in November, and I requested an update in March, and we’re still waiting for that update,” Councilwoman Regina Romero said Tuesday.
Councilman Steve Kozachik said the data is imperative to know how many people are detained and how resources are spent. “They were told seven months ago, and they’ve been ignoring it.”
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