OKLAHOMA CITY — Chiefs of Police of metro areas in Oklahoma issued a statement Tuesday afternoon cautioning about the possible problems with a new law that will take effect July 1.
The new law will demand that local law enforcement agencies begin arresting persons who they believe are in the U.S. illegally.
As has been the case with the largest agencies in Oklahoma City and Tulsa in the past, the concern is that the new law will create a climate of fear among those who are even here legally in a way where they will be reluctant to call the police if they are the victims of crime.
“This bill places crime victims at risk by increasing the fear of reporting to law enforcement,” read the joint statement issued Wednesday by the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and Metro Law Enforcement Agency Leaders.
“Further, HB4156 brings forth legal challenges in fair and impartial policing and ti-racial profiling,” the statement continued. “These unintended consequences may deteriorate public trust in law enforcement in already vulnerable communities, ultimately resulting in increased public safety concerns.”
The Chiefs expressed concern that trust will be broken by this law.
“This law has the potential to destroy the connections and relationships we have built within our local immigrant communities and set us back for many years to come,” the statement continued.
‘The fear is real’ – Chief Citty to OKC City Council, 2017
That particular concern was voiced all that way back in 2017 when then Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty spoke to the Oklahoma City Council about why the OKCPD would not want to be seen as enforcing immigration laws.
“The fear is real,” said Citty about persons in certain communities in Oklahoma City who need to call the police to report a rape, or abuse, or criminal activity but are afraid to because of the status of a family member.
Afterward, Free Press interviewed Citty about why the police department does not want to be the ones inquiring about citizenship.
“If somebody calls us, and a crime has been committed we want them to report that,” Citty told us. “We don’t want them to have the fear that we are going to come into their house, ask everybody if they are documented or not and make an arrest based on that determination.”
At the time, Citty said that enforcing immigration laws was not their role. He argued that if people don’t call because they fear that the police will start investigating their status, then crime would not be reported and they would not be able to adequately protect the whole of the community.
“If they have that fear, they are not going to call us,” said Citty. “It’s about building trust. We can’t do our job if people don’t trust us — to call us and let us help them.”
Here is the interview with Citty in 2017. The video also includes after that an interview with ACLU Executive Director Ryan Kiesel on the same topic.
Oklahoma cities prohibited from passing ordinances to the contrary
The law specifically preempts cities from passing any ordinance that interferes with the law.
“Any municipality or other political subdivision of this state shall be prohibited from adopting any ordinance, regulation, resolution, rule, or policy that conflicts with the provisions of this act.”
Tuesday’s statement echoed City’s thoughts seven years ago.
“It is imperative we work collaboratively towards solutions that prioritize public safety while upholding the rights of all members of our communities,” concluded the chiefs’ statement. “We will continue to work with our respective legal advisors and community stakeholders to ensure our service is both lawful and consistent with community expectations that respect all those we serve.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.