A Shaky Start

Barely a day went by since we wrote what (we thought) was a pretty tame article about the new head of COPA and the retired sergeant popped into our comment section about his mostly positive experience working with her.

And then, the wheels fell off:

• The Chicago City Council will vote Feb. 18 on a proposal that would allow the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to investigate whether CPD officers have violated city law by helping federal immigration agents.

  COPA’s newly appointed chief administrator, LaKenya White, told a joint session of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Police and Fire Committees last week that her office is prepared to investigate 40 complaints filed against the Chicago Police Department over its interactions with federal agents since June.

  Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance prohibits all city employees from helping federal agents enforce immigration laws in nearly all cases.

  Elected officials, residents and immigrant rights advocates have said they repeatedly witnessed CPD actively helping ICE agents detain dozens by clearing the way for agents to make arrests by blocking streets, protecting ICE vehicles and “escorting” ICE agents to their destinations.

Do you know what one of the complaints is?

• a CPD supervisor shaking hands with the head of ICE on the scene where he showed up....you know, being polite and professional, introducing himself as the CPD person in charge to the Federal person in charge.

That's it. Also, keeping the streets clear and passable is a function of the CPD. So is making sure protestors abide by the Law, as in "not blocking streets." 

Ms. White is walking a fine line here. Doing what is required to maintain peace and order is NOT assisting ICE, but standing down like the police in Minnesota are doing only abets disorder....which is what democrats want.

Tread carefully.