OUR VIEW: Getting officers on same page on immigration law

Alabama’s more than 16,000 sworn law enforcement officers are about to hit the classroom for four hours of mandatory training on how to enforce the state’s controversial immigration law.
It’s about time.
Stressed-out, underfunded law enforcement agencies that already had much on their collective plates have pleaded for guidance since the legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants took effect Sept. 29.

They have complained that its provisions are difficult to understand, and there have been reports of the law being inconsistently interpreted and applied in different areas of the state. Federal court rulings that have tossed out bits and pieces of the law have further complicated things.

So the Alabama Police Officers’ Standards and Training Commission last month decided to mandate the training. The requirement wasn’t publicized until Thursday, but about 1,000 officers already have completed it. Some of those officers will conduct the sessions for colleagues at their respective departments.

The training will focus on situations officers in the field are likely to face in connection with the law, with the emphasis on what to do with people who don’t have proper identification proving their legal status.

We think that’s a wise approach. This is not the time to get into the political and philosophical issues surrounding this debate. An officer’s role is to enforce the law as it stands, and this is the law in Alabama right now.
The course materials reiterate that only the federal government can determine whether a person is in the U.S. illegally and that law enforcement agencies are barred from profiling suspects or proactively trying to round up suspected illegal immigrants, but could face consequences if they don’t enforce the state law.
Agencies should have an easier time doing that with uniform training that has everyone reading from the same school book. Alabama’s judges are slated to go through similar training during a conference in January.
It’s likely to be a continuing education scenario, though. More federal court rulings are anticipated that could change the way the law has to be enforced, on the way to an ultimate decision on its constitutionality by the U.S. Supreme Court. That will mean additional training time, which might be at odds with the current training materials’ assertion that enforcing the immigration law shouldn’t interfere with officers’ other duties.
But if that’s what it takes to end the confusion and ensure consistent enforcement of the law throughout Alabama, so be it.

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