It is wrong to punish the police for enforcing the law January 23, 2007 Rhode Island State Trooper Thomas Chabot deserves a commendation for using his initiative to help enforce the law. Instead, he’s facing a lawsuit. The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union is suing Trooper Chabot, another trooper, the state police, their superintendent, Steven Pare, and the State of Rhode Island over a July 11 stop that led to the detainment of 14 Guatemalans. The ACLU’s argument is that police used racial profiling, violating the U.S. constitutional rights of 11 of the Guatemalans. State police, through an internal investigation, determined that Trooper Chabot played it by the book. And, indeed, given the facts we know, it is hard to see what he did wrong in enforcing the law. He was just doing his job. Mr. Chabot pulled over a van that had changed lanes without using directional signals. Inside were 14 people — which is a lot for a van. He asked for identification, which not all of them had. He asked for proof of U.S. citizenship, which none of them had. He then escorted the van and its passengers to the federal Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Providence. Clearly, the results underscore that he had good cause for suspicion: the 14 people, here illegally, now face deportation. The courts will decide whether any laws were broken, or any rights accorded to non-citizens violated. But Mr. Chabot could hardly have helped enforce the immigration law by acting in any other manner than he did. And that seems to be the point. Critics, for political or other reasons, do not want the police enforcing laws duly passed by elected officials. As Steven Brown, the local ACLU director, put it: “To their credit, many police departments across the country have rejected the opportunity to enforce those laws for a number of reasons.” Rejected the opportunity to enforce those laws?! That’s not to their credit at all. Those departments are making decisions that belong to the people, through their elected officials. If citizens do not wish police to help enforce immigration laws, they should lobby their legislators to either throw out those laws or specifically restrain police from lifting a finger. In fact — to the dismay of some political activists — Americans seem to believe that immigration laws are in place for a good reason, and ought to be enforced. It is wrong to punish police for enforcing the law. |