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Provo • Provo's police chief says it is not his department's job to act as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The Daily Herald reports that in a memo addressed to the staff of the Provo Police Department, Chief John King said that officers should focus on protecting the public and investigating crimes. He said it is not officers' jobs to detain undocumented immigrants.
King says he was contacted as recently as last weekend by members of minority communities in Provo that feared the police department was working with ICE to deport immigrants.
King says it's important immigrant groups feel comfortable calling and reporting crimes without fear of deportation. If that doesn't happen, he says his officers can't solve crimes in the city.