R.I. police commanders attend immigration summit
11:26 AM Wed, Aug 20, 2008 | Permalink
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Projo 7 to 7 News BlogTaking the news pulse of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, by Providence Journal and projo.com staff, from 7 to 7, every business day |
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Get the 7 to 7 on your mobile at www.projo.com. Twitter: projo | RSS | Email alerts By Amanda Milkovits PROVIDENCE -- Police commanders from every department in Rhode Island are attending an immigration summit this morning sponsored by the State Police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to talk about the best practices in handling immigration. Col. Brendan Doherty, the superintendent of the state police, and the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association called this nonpublic summit in reaction to the controversy over illegal immigration. This meeting was an opportunity for the police from all over Rhode Island to talk about the issue and for the state police to discuss their best practices. David Riccio, the resident-agent-in-charge of the ICE office in Providence, was there to discuss immigration laws. "This will give us the tools to uphold the law in a fair, a fair," Doherty emphasized, "and equitable manner." Doherty said that the state police have received few complaints, except from "advocacy groups who say they're speaking on behalf of immigrants." "We embrace the immigrant community," Doherty said. However, he added, "there's something very wrong when it becomes politically incorrect to arrest illegal immigrants who are breaking the law." The flashpoint for the illegal immigration controversy came early this summer, when a Guatemalan man was arrested for allegedly carjacking and raping a woman. Marco Riz had been ordered deported by a federal immigration judge last Halloween, but was still in Rhode Island and had already been arrested by the Providence police before. Governor Carcieri said that case was the purpose behind calling this meeting, to have all of law enforcement in Rhode Island work together. Without directly naming the police department, Carcieri swiped at the Providence police because he said they did not use technology that would have identified Riz as an illegal immigrant when he was arrested before the rape in June. The controversy erupted after Riz was arrested. ICE has blamed the Providence police for not filing an inquiry through its Law Enforcement Support Center database, which would have told the police about Riz's immigration status and directly alerted the Providence office of ICE to his arrest. The Providence police have said that they checked the national criminal database, which includes state and federal warrants, and found no warrant from ICE, and that ICE did not take action when Riz's name was faxed to them among other suspects on the department's daily arraignment sheet. The Providence police are now using the ICE database. The Providence police commanders were among more than 50 other police chiefs crowded into the conference room A.T. Wall, the director of the Department of Corrections, was also in attendance. The governor's executive order directed the Department of Corrections and the State Police to take action to identify illegal immigrants. The events over the last several months have shown how emotionally charged the matter of immigration is, said U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente. "Everyone in law enforcement operates under a microscope all the time, where people will hold you to very high standards. That's why it's important to have this group," Corrente said. "If you're going to do this kind of work, it's important that you do it right." 
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I am a native Rhode Islander now living in the Los Angeles area. If you think you have problems...............
Having read Governor Caicieri's Executive Order and now seeing Colonel Doherty's comments, I am proud to be a Rhode Islander.
I may even move back so I can vote for the Governor if he promises to keep the Colonel.
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I do not know how ICE's going to teach RI state troopers that when ICE lets detainees die under its custody. On the contrary, I'm convinced that the RI state troopers are much more capable of teaching ICE on how to treat detainees professionally and humanely.
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Did chief "Shiny Badge" Esserman (Providence) show up?
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If your illegal you are breaking the laws of the United states of America and if your breaking the laws of the great country then you need to be arrested and deported. End of story.
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Sorry John King, Carcieri can't run again. David Cicilline and Elizabeth Roberts will be vying for the ability to run our state into the ground.
Your best bet is to stay away. Not necessarily in California, mind you, but away nonetheless.
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ICE and the RI Police should look into the immigration tracking / deporting program the Collier County Sheriff Office in Florida is using for IA'S. The county jail population is down and the number of IA'S coming in county is also down. Crime stats are at an all time low.
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