Want to get sued like Arizona?

Sometimes it isn’t a real good idea to draw negative attention to one’s self.  Now that the UVA Report on Illegal Immigration has been finalized, it will somehow be interpreted and reinterpreted as the Chairman feels necessary. 

First off, YOUR UVA report that YOU, the taxpayers of PWC paid almost $400,000 for is now residing on the Chairman’s Virginia Rule of Law Act website.  You can even download it from there.  I suggest that the Corey Stewart  read the report cover to cover because he is getting some of the information wrong–dead wrong.

 

 

Here is what the report actually say about serous crime: 

Crime and arrest statistics reported by PWCPD do not, on the whole, show reductions that might be associated with the immigration policy, but they do show that serious violence, particularly aggravated assault, has dropped sharply in recent years. Considering that illegal immigrants account for only 3% of offenders currently arrested for aggravated assault, it seems unlikely that the policy was a major cause behind this trend, but it could have been a contributor. Finally, the views of officers, as measured in interviews and surveys, are somewhat mixed. Most feel that the policy has been effective in controlling crime and disorder related to illegal immigrants, but they are split as to whether the policy has reduced crime overall, and their general view is that immigrants do not contribute heavily to serious crime in PWC.

Additionally upon inspection of the crime statistics from the Prince William County Police website:

in 2007, there were 310 aggravated assaults committed by both adults and juveniles.  In 2008 there were 197 aggravated assaults committed by both adults and juveniles.  That is a reduction of 113 aggravated assaults or  a  36.5% decrease.  Yet the chair tells us there was a 47% decrease. 

Mr. Stewart needs to tell the truth and stop reworking the numbers to suit his own personal goals and agenda. 

Finally, in the BOCS meeting yesterday, Mr. Stewart and the other supervisors who voted in the affirmative seem to want the state to adopt PWC”s illegal immigration policy of status check post arrest.  The model legislation bill  (click to download) tells another story.  It is an IRLI form with Virginia Rule of Law Act written on it also.  It goes much further than the Prince William current  model and has the thumb print of F.A.I.R. and Mike Hethmon all over it.   It permits probable cause stops to check for immigration status as well as other things that just might get the state sued. 

I think most of us don’t want to end up like Arizona.  If Corey Stewart, Ken Cuccinelli  and F.A.I.R. have their way, that is exactly where the state of Virginia will end up. 

We commend the Prince William County police for the job they do, under the leadership of Chief Deane.  The PWC model that questions status of all people post arrest is a workable solution to the problem.  What works for our community might not work for another.  Let’s not dictate what others should do.  Millions of dollars were spent to get to where we are now.  Its time to move on without going through all of this again. And Virginians  certainly don’t need to be F.A.I.R. lab rats again.

 

 

News & Messenger says Study: Prince William policy drove away illegal immigrants

From News & Messenger:

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. —

Since the Board of County Supervisors’ controversial illegal immigration resolution was passed, thousands of illegals have left Prince William.

However, crime, for the most part, has not changed significantly.

So says a two-year study conducted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Survey Research and presented to supervisors Tuesday.

Originally passed in October 2007 and revamped in April 2008, the resolution states: “Officers shall investigate the citizenship or immigration status of all persons who are arrested for a violation of a state law or county ordinance when such arrest results in a physical custodial arrest.”

Overall crime — with the exception of a near 30 percent drop in aggravated assault cases — has not changed significantly since the resolution was adopted. Partly because of the police department’s efforts to quell robberies before the resolution, violent crime has been trending downward in the county for the past decade.

The News & Messenger  further reports:

On the other hand, based on several statistical analyses, the study showed between 2,000 and 6,000 illegal immigrants left Prince William after the resolution’s approval.

From 2006 to 2009, the Hispanic population (which accounts for nearly three-fourths of all non-citizens in the county) increased 18.8 percent in Northern Virginia but just 3.6 percent in Prince William

I am fairly flummoxed by the report on the report, found in Insidenova.com. Then I read the Washington Post report and it took a similar stance:

The county’s police and elected officials requested the study to look at the implementation and effects of a policy – adopted in 2007 and modified in 2008 – that requires police officers to check the immigration status of all people arrested on suspicion of violating state or federal law.

The original policy directed officers to check the immigration status of people only if there was probable cause to believe that they were in the country illegally.

The study indicates that some changes in the Hispanic population can be attributed to the policy, but the researchers make it clear that the policy’s implementation coincided with the economic downturn, the mortgage crisis and the decline of the construction industry.

Because of those factors and others – for instance, the county’s having modified its policy to be less controversial and the county’s having a well-funded police department – the lessons of Prince William’s experience should be applied with “great caution” in other places and other times, said Thomas Guterbock, director of U-Va.’s Center for Survey Research.

Walking away, it looks like there was a great deal of angst and money spent.  Perhaps now I see why the great rush to vote on attaching the Prince William model to the legislative package to the state.  See bold above.  Lucy once again pulls the football out from under Charlie Brown.  Tsk Tsk.  They were warned.  Did Frank and Marty know something the others didn’t? 

Perhaps the best move would be to take our report, cut our losses, thank our lucky stars that cooler heads prevailed in 2008, hope our house values return, encourage businesses to come to the county, and move on.  Perhaps we shouldn’t advise others to do what we did here in Prince William.  But of course, it was all about an election.  And unless leopards have changed their spots, todays legislative action was all about an election also, we just aren’t sure which one. 

Just out of curiosity, does this now mean that Corey can work on his Virginia Rule of Law Campaign on company time using company employees?