I think. is not good public policy. In an oped piece that was published in Roll Call last year. the police chief of Dayton. Ohio. explained why his department instructs its officers not to check the immigration status of witnesses and victims or to question their status in minor traffic stops. He says: These policies allow us to focus our limited resources on our primary mission. which is crime solving and community safety. We know that local law enforcement agencies are clearly stretched very thin across the country. They also said victims of crimes should never be afraid to reach out for help due to the fear of immigration consequences because. notwithstanding the fact of their status. crimes are perpetrated upon these people as well. Since Dayton adopted these policies and innovative ways of addressing crime problems. their crime rates have significantly declined. and. in the past 3 years. serious crime has declined nearly 22 percent. while serious property crime has gone down 15 percent. It is simply. we believe. perverse to punish communities that want to prioritize because they know best what their challenges are within their communities to protect the public against crime and to enact communitybased policing activities.
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immigration