Is the LAPD breaking the law?

Re “No job for the LAPD,” Opinion, May 6

Charles Lindner shows his cards early in his article, which specifically attacks Judicial Watch’s Special Order 40 lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department. He writes: “Twenty-eight years later, the order still makes political sense.” Political sense? Politics and law enforcement do not mix. The citizens of Los Angeles expect their Police Department to enforce and obey the law.

Politics aside, here are the legal facts:

In 1996, Congress enacted legislation that states: “A federal, state, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service [now Immigration and Customs Enforcement] information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.”

According to an L.A. Board of Police Commissioners’ report in February 2001, in practice, the policies and procedures under Special Order 40 “preclude officers from notifying the [federal immigration officials] about a person’s undocumented status unless the person has been arrested.” Clearly, Special Order 40 violates federal immigration law.

TOM FITTON

President

Judicial Watch

Washington