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Mesa Police Chief George Gascón is
trying to ensure public safety in spite of
vague information regarding MCSO's
operation in Mesa.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
trying to ensure public safety in spite of
vague information regarding MCSO's
operation in Mesa.
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
By Eduardo Barraza June 26, 2008
Mesa, Arizona - Another episode of the Maricopa County Sheriff
Department’s publicized “crime suppression” operations began
unfolding this week, as public officials and residents reacted to the
long-announced stop at the city of Mesa.
Three months earlier, the MCSO launched their tactic to bring their
patrol cars –marked and unmarked– to the streets of Phoenix, and
conduct traffic stops based for the most part on non-moving
violations.
Strategically executed in areas demographically dense of
Hispanic/Latino residents, the impressive deployment of force
resulted in the arrest of individuals without legal documents.
After their first operation in the area of East Thomas Road and North
32nd Street, the MCSO repeated like actions in the East Bell Road
and Cave Creek Road area, and then the Town of Guadalupe.
Targeted to “suppress crime”, the MCSO’s operations evidently had
an immigration-enforcement purpose, since the majority of arrested
drivers were pulled over non-moving traffic violations, did not
received a traffic citation, but processed instead due to their lack of
legal status in the country.
The sheriff’s operations created volatile scenarios where protesters
were drawn to show their support or opposition, and clashed in near-
violence situations.
MCSO’s most recent operation on April 3 and 4, was received with
heavy protests from Guadalupe’s town residents and officials. People
there not only rebuffed the sheriff department’s actions, but forced
the MCSO to not set up their command post the second night.
After this last “crime suppression” operation in Guadalupe, the sheriff
announced the next one would take place in the city of Mesa. After
almost three months, the MCSO finally decided to come to the East
Valley.
Up since the MCSO indicated their intentions to conduct a similar
operation in Mesa, Police Chief George Gascón began to prepare to
avoid similar situations as those witnessed in Phoenix and
Guadalupe. Gascón acted quickly to make public his department’s
desire to receive appropriate notice before the sheriff would arrive in
his city, and in the little to no-notice fashion public officials in Phoenix
and Guadalupe accused the MCSO to have launched their operations.
For months, the sheriff department gave no indication as to when
the operation would take place in the city of Mesa. Early this week,
Chief Gascón learned indirectly, at first, and then through a letter
from the MCSO, that the operation would begin on Thursday. Mesa
Police did not receive specific information on the place or times the
operation would take place.
Chief Gascón offered a press conference on Wednesday, June 25, at
the Mesa police department’s headquarters. Members of the media
there did not learn further details on the exact time, place or method
of operation, although Gascón indicated there has been little
improvement in communication between both agencies.
Operations in Phoenix and Guadalupe set up MCSO’s command posts
in public parking lots, preceded with a press conference around 4:00
p.m. by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff’s department vehicles –some
unmarked– would patrol streets surrounding the post looking to pull
over drivers for infractions such as minor non-moving violations as a
tail light or broken windshield. Most drivers seemed to fit ethnic and
economic characteristics.
When suspected traffic law violators fail to provide a drivers license
and other documents, they begin to be question by sheriff deputies.
If they admit or give hints of lacking legal documents, they are
arrested and taken to the command post, where they continue to be
questioned and then are taken in vans to the county jail.
Immigration procedures are applied to those individuals who are
deemed to be undocumented.
Gascón stated to Barriozona Magazine that as police chief in Mesa, he
does not consider MCSO’s crime suppression operations –as the
ones witnessed in Phoenix and Guadalupe in March and April–
necessary. He added that this is the first time in his career in law
enforcement he deals with a situation in which another law
enforcement agency does not provide precise information to
coordinate efforts. “In operations like this you want to have as much
communication as possible to ensure the safety of all residents,” he
added.
The MCSO is expected to conduct a similar operation in Mesa on June
26 as the ones in Phoenix and Guadalupe. However, it is probable
that the MCSO will not set up a command post in a public spot, since
the sheriff department has facilities within the Maricopa County
Southeast Regional Campus. In fact, after faced by protestors on
April 3, the MCSO limited to patrol the streets during the second day
of operation in Guadalupe, taking arrested individuals to this East
Valley facility.
Department’s publicized “crime suppression” operations began
unfolding this week, as public officials and residents reacted to the
long-announced stop at the city of Mesa.
Three months earlier, the MCSO launched their tactic to bring their
patrol cars –marked and unmarked– to the streets of Phoenix, and
conduct traffic stops based for the most part on non-moving
violations.
Strategically executed in areas demographically dense of
Hispanic/Latino residents, the impressive deployment of force
resulted in the arrest of individuals without legal documents.
After their first operation in the area of East Thomas Road and North
32nd Street, the MCSO repeated like actions in the East Bell Road
and Cave Creek Road area, and then the Town of Guadalupe.
Targeted to “suppress crime”, the MCSO’s operations evidently had
an immigration-enforcement purpose, since the majority of arrested
drivers were pulled over non-moving traffic violations, did not
received a traffic citation, but processed instead due to their lack of
legal status in the country.
The sheriff’s operations created volatile scenarios where protesters
were drawn to show their support or opposition, and clashed in near-
violence situations.
MCSO’s most recent operation on April 3 and 4, was received with
heavy protests from Guadalupe’s town residents and officials. People
there not only rebuffed the sheriff department’s actions, but forced
the MCSO to not set up their command post the second night.
After this last “crime suppression” operation in Guadalupe, the sheriff
announced the next one would take place in the city of Mesa. After
almost three months, the MCSO finally decided to come to the East
Valley.
Up since the MCSO indicated their intentions to conduct a similar
operation in Mesa, Police Chief George Gascón began to prepare to
avoid similar situations as those witnessed in Phoenix and
Guadalupe. Gascón acted quickly to make public his department’s
desire to receive appropriate notice before the sheriff would arrive in
his city, and in the little to no-notice fashion public officials in Phoenix
and Guadalupe accused the MCSO to have launched their operations.
For months, the sheriff department gave no indication as to when
the operation would take place in the city of Mesa. Early this week,
Chief Gascón learned indirectly, at first, and then through a letter
from the MCSO, that the operation would begin on Thursday. Mesa
Police did not receive specific information on the place or times the
operation would take place.
Chief Gascón offered a press conference on Wednesday, June 25, at
the Mesa police department’s headquarters. Members of the media
there did not learn further details on the exact time, place or method
of operation, although Gascón indicated there has been little
improvement in communication between both agencies.
Operations in Phoenix and Guadalupe set up MCSO’s command posts
in public parking lots, preceded with a press conference around 4:00
p.m. by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff’s department vehicles –some
unmarked– would patrol streets surrounding the post looking to pull
over drivers for infractions such as minor non-moving violations as a
tail light or broken windshield. Most drivers seemed to fit ethnic and
economic characteristics.
When suspected traffic law violators fail to provide a drivers license
and other documents, they begin to be question by sheriff deputies.
If they admit or give hints of lacking legal documents, they are
arrested and taken to the command post, where they continue to be
questioned and then are taken in vans to the county jail.
Immigration procedures are applied to those individuals who are
deemed to be undocumented.
Gascón stated to Barriozona Magazine that as police chief in Mesa, he
does not consider MCSO’s crime suppression operations –as the
ones witnessed in Phoenix and Guadalupe in March and April–
necessary. He added that this is the first time in his career in law
enforcement he deals with a situation in which another law
enforcement agency does not provide precise information to
coordinate efforts. “In operations like this you want to have as much
communication as possible to ensure the safety of all residents,” he
added.
The MCSO is expected to conduct a similar operation in Mesa on June
26 as the ones in Phoenix and Guadalupe. However, it is probable
that the MCSO will not set up a command post in a public spot, since
the sheriff department has facilities within the Maricopa County
Southeast Regional Campus. In fact, after faced by protestors on
April 3, the MCSO limited to patrol the streets during the second day
of operation in Guadalupe, taking arrested individuals to this East
Valley facility.
Mesa Police Department Readies for MCSO's Operation
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| Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006-2011 All rights reserved. webmaster@hisi.org |
Eduardo Barraza is a journalist and writer,
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues in Phoenix, Arizona
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