On Tuesday, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) convened about 40 state and local police officers from across Colorado to discuss immigration enforcement. The attendees reached the same conclusion as law enforcement professionals at previous PERF events in Phoenix, AZ and Raleigh, NC: the incoherence of federal immigration policy causes unnecessary difficulties for local police.
As Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers told local TV station KRDO:
“Most of the attendees, if not all, felt that we do need to see more leadership coming out of Washington DC. We are attempting to find local solutions to nationwide problems.”
In particular (as quoted in the Colorado Springs Gazette), Myers said, local police need to be able to make
“some differentiation between criminal aliens and those who are here undocumented with no other criminal offense.”