Groups Vow to Scrutinize Enforcement of Arizona Law
Every immigration check performed by officers will be under a microscope.
June 1, 2010 -- When Arizona's new immigration law goes into effect next month, every immigration check performed by the state's 16,000 officers will be under a microscope.
The law requires an officer to determine a person's immigration status if they are stopped, detained or arrested and there is "reasonable suspicion" they are in the country illegally.
Organizations, such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, say they will be ready to sue immediately if they feel citizens were questioned improperly.
To head off such issues, a group of a dozen people are poring through court opinions and researching identity documents to establish training for each of the state's police officers.
Lyle Mann, director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, said each department will receive a video, handouts and a brochure that explains the basics of identity documents such as passports and green cards.
An agency can expand the training with a talk by its chief, sheriff or legal adviser.
Mann said officers will be trained to identify illegal immigrants in the same way they develop reasonable suspicion for any other criminal offense — by piecing together different factors.
"Officers live reasonable suspicion every day," Mann said.
He used the example of a routine traffic stop where the driver lowers the window and the smell of marijuana smoke is present. The person was pulled over on a reasonable suspicion of speeding, but the smell of marijuana created a reasonable suspicion that the person has drugs.
"That's no different than the process that an officer will go through with the question of (suspects) being in the country legally or illegally," Mann said.
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