Left In Lowell

With all of the City’s attention focused on The Festival, a significant op-ed piece in last Firday’s Lowell Sun, written by Lowell Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee, did not receive the focus it deserves . In his article, titled “The role of police in immigration enforcement,” Lavallee clearly states the philosophy of the LPD on this particular issue:

When immigrant residents of Lowell are afraid to report crimes because they worry that contact with my officers could lead to deportation, criminals are allowed to roam free and the entire community suffers as a result. I will not let that happen. My officers and I believe that the best way to approach it is to work with the federal immigration authorities when a crime has been committed, but not to engage in civil immigration law enforcement.

Lavallee and his staff should be praised for making this public statement. The Superintendent referred to a recently released report by the Police Foundation on a study they conducted “to determine the proper balance of immigration enforcement, civil liberties and community safety.” According to the Police Superintendent, the report concludes that “Civil immigration enforcement by state and local police hurts the relationship between local police and their communities, because it chills crime victims from reporting information to the police.” (more…)