PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department is addressing the community's concerns about the presence of outside federal agencies, such as ICE.
On Friday, the department issued a statement outlining police enforcement versus enforcement of federal agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the National Guard.
According to Phoenix PD, the community can expect the following from officers:
• Officers will always identify themselves in the course of their duties.
• Officers responding to calls or conducting enforcement are not permitted to wear full face coverings.
• Officers’ uniforms must display visible Phoenix Police identifiers.
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Officials say if you encounter someone claiming to be a police officer who refuses to identify themselves or lacks visible markings - and you want to confirm their identity, you should:
• Call 911 immediately if the situation is happening now.
• If it is not an emergency, report it to the Phoenix PD hotline and the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) at (602) 262-6287.
Additionally, Phoenix officials clarify that police officers do not enforce federal immigration laws, and their role is to uphold local and state laws to protect public safety. They say officers do not participate with ICE and also cannot interrupt or prevent their operations.
In the video player above, ABC15 hears from the Arizona Department of Public Safety on its role in immigration enforcement.
On January 16, community organizations such as Puente and Arizona Immigration Coalition for Migrant Rights held training on how to legally observe immigration operations in preparation for potential ICE raids in the Valley.
ABC15 was there as hundreds of people attended the session. Watch the story in the video player below:
Below is a portion of the Phoenix Police Department's statement:
It is the mission of the Phoenix Police Department to serve everyone in our community with dignity and respect. We are committed to protecting the rights and safety of every person who lives, works, and visits our city.
Federal agencies operating in Phoenix do not represent the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix Police officers do not respond to calls for service or routine enforcement with face coverings and our officers’ uniforms must display visible Phoenix Police identifiers. If you have concerns about any law enforcement interaction, please reach out to us directly.
