If you care about the safety of ICE and CBP officers, demand changes to their practices and training. Americans may disagree about the scope of ICE’s deportation efforts, but we should agree that harm to officers or the public must be prevented. The tragic events in Minneapolis are a wake-up call that the conduct of ICE — law enforcement officers entrusted with public safety and the use of force — needs to change.
It is important for the investigation into the death of Renee Good to play out before any final judgment is reached, but several concerns already stand out. If officers are concerned about a vehicle causing harm, standard practice is to not stand in front of it. Law enforcement is trained to box in the vehicle to prevent flight or harm, which would still allow apprehension. For officer safety, we should demand better.
Likewise, standard practice across law enforcement and federal agencies is to not shoot at moving vehicles except as a last resort. In Good’s case, her vehicle crashed into another car some distance away. That crash could have killed nearby law enforcement, or the neighborhood residents gathered on the sidewalk. These guidelines are there to protect the safety of the public and law enforcement, and ICE should be expected to follow them.
ICE also needs to give clear, consistent commands when apprehending people. Video footage and witness testimony describe conflicting demands given to Good — move the vehicle or get out — making compliance impossible and increasing tension. This is why law enforcement is trained to maintain composure and give precise commands.
For those on the right concerned with the safety of ICE officials, please join me in demanding better. These are not quaint norms from soft liberals; they are basic law enforcement standards designed to protect officers and the public alike.
Taylor Layton, Salt Lake City
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