Glenny
Police chief Robert Glenny spoke about the relationship between the Gettysburg Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the borough council meeting on Monday.
Glenny began by saying the primary job of the police department was to be “impartial. We enforce the law,” he said.
“I’ve been a policeman for 30-odd years and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve dealt with ICE,” he said. “It doesn’t happen that frequently.”
Glenny reminded people that as a division of Homeland Security, ICE also engages in other activities including investigating human trafficking, illegal document manufacturing, and fighting “the global war on terrorism.”
Glenny said that the department had had only one contact with ICE in the 6 months he had been here.
Glenny said in some cases routine background checks, for instance at a traffic stop, would come back as a “hit” for ICE. In that case “we will contact ICE,” he said.
“The majority of the times they do not come here,” he said. But if the federal agency asks for information, the department does supply it.
“If they tell us they want those folks, once we have the proper paperwork I will hold that person for them…. for a reasonable amount of time.”
“That proper paperwork is like any other, Glenny said. In this case “it has a member of the federal judiciary’s signature on it.”
Glenny explained that ICE issues both administrative and criminal warrants. If it’s a criminal warrant “they’re more apt to come and get them,” but “generally that is for repeat offenses,” he said.
“Generally ICE is only looking for those who have been criminally deported before… or is a multiple offender in some way,” Glenny said.
Glenny said ICE will usually tell the police if they are coming on an immigration raid. “They do not ask permission; they are a law-enforcement entity of their own,” said Glenny
“Most often they do not ask for help,” he said, but “most often I will send someone down for safety and security. We do not do actual immigration enforcement ourselves.”
Glenny said ICE might call the department to ask if we’ve had interaction with a person based on prior logs.
Our interaction with ICE “is not extensive.” “We do cooperate with their investigations,” he said.
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Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.