Midvale clarifies illegal-immigration policy

MIDVALE — Police here will not attempt to verify the legal citizenship of crime victims or witnesses but will look into the documentation status of suspects held in custody, according to a memorandum being sent to all Midvale police officers Wednesday morning.

Officers will be encouraged to ask questions about documentation to those arrested, but the final determination of a suspect's legality will be made by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office once those people are under lock and key, according to the memo.

Police Chief Tony Mason introduced the new city policy to elected officials Tuesday. The ensuing discussion revolved around Utah's SB81, which allows for the cross-deputization of local law enforcers as federal immigration agents.

Midvale police will not be trained or certified as federal immigration officers, primarily because of budget shortfalls in the federal department, Mason said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deputies do not have time to supervise the training of local police, he reported after having spoken to the regional office in Denver.

Some council members worried that any laxity by Midvale police would give the city a reputation as being a haven for undocumented people.

"We need to make sure everybody knows the stance is going to be hard and we're going to be tough," said Councilman Paul Glover.

Conversely, Councilwoman Colleen Costello said she feels more threatened by the Utah Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group, than by undocumented residents.

Only about 5 percent of SB81 has to do with law enforcement, Mason said. The rest is related to things like employment and human trafficking.

Beyond helping to determine the immigration status of arrested suspects, Midvale police will continue pursuing violent crimes and major financial crimes, Mason said.

The department will commit one officer part-time to a new state task force designed to find criminals who may be "off the grid" due to their undocumented status, said Ken Wallentine, who heads up the attorney general's law enforcement team and attended Tuesday's meeting.

E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com