Oh, and by the way... we're being invaded...
Well, maybe just one more thing... worth watching...**
Ted Poe gives a quick history of the border and then reveals the dangers of having an open border and the agenda of the atzlan community.
**
posted by jillosophy at 11/28/2006 08:51:00 PM
1 Comments:
And our law enforcement agencies are rolling over . . .
By all accounts - a legitimate arrest ends with sensitivity training. (BLECH!)
http://www.indiapost.com/members/story.php?story_id=5854
Published: 2006-11-27
Edison cops found guilty
NC SRIREKHA
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: An internal affairs investigation into the complicity of Edison police with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the arrest of an Indian man on August 2, has found two Edison police officers guilty of wrongdoing.
Ironically though, the police officers are to be let off with mere counseling.
In an emailed joint statement, Edison Mayor Jun Choi and Edison Police Chief George Mieczkowski, say that the investigation and subsequent arrest of Rajnikant Parikh was initiated by an ICE employee and that information was passed between the ICE employee and a member of the Edison Police Department.
The statement further notes that the pre-arrest information was shared with another Edison Officer. “Neither of the Edison Officers have supervisory responsibility. The information was not shared with Command Level Officers. Had the Department known, our local agency would have requested the arrest take place in a different and appropriate manner,” the statement reads.
Mayor Choi and the Police Chief concede that the internal investigation determined that while the arrest of Parikh served a legitimate law enforcement purpose, the timing and the environment of the arrest was inappropriate.
Parikh was arrested from a rally outside the Edison Mayor’s office on August 2 where he was protesting against his illegal arrest and brutal assault by a police officer on July 4 outside his residential complex at Hilltop Apartments on Oak Tree Road.
The protest rally was organized by Pradip ‘Peter’ Kothari, a travel agency owner and community leader, along with about a 100 other members of the community. Mid-rally, federal agents belonging to the ICE arrested Parikh allegedly on pending deportation proceedings against him on grounds that he was an illegal alien.
Mayor Choi and the Police Chief, who maintained ever since that they had no knowledge of the federal action, had instituted an internal investigation to determine as to who in the police department, had leaked information to the ICE officer regarding Parikh.
A statement on the completed report of the Edison Police Department internal affairs investigation was released to the media on the eve of the Thanksgiving Day weekend.
It said the Edison Police Department internal affairs investigation inquiring into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) coordination with local police before an August 2 arrest has been completed.
The joint statement says the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Office of the Attorney General have reviewed the investigation and concluded that it is a complete and an accurate recitation of all facts leading up to and including the arrest.
Terming it “an unfortunate incident”, the statement says, the Mayor’s Office and Police Department have established various community relations initiatives, including: liaison officers, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Community Relations, mandatory cultural sensitivity training for all sworn officers and other community outreach programs.
Further it says, measures have been taken to avoid such incidents happening again. “This incident is a singular event in the history of the Edison Police Department and not the normal course of business. Previous to this incident there was an absence of procedures regarding interactions with other law enforcement agencies. The commitment now is to ensure an incident like this will not occur in the future.”
Reportedly, preventative measures have now been implemented and installed in the Department’s rules, regulations and general orders. “If any outside agency contacts an officer, the officer is to notify the watch commander who will then communicate with the Command Staff if necessary. Officers failing to follow this procedure will be the subject of disciplinary actions,” the joint statement said.
The statement also says there was no evidence to indicate any intent to embarrass or undermine the Office of the Mayor or the Chief of Police. The internal investigation showed the Mayor and Police Chief had no knowledge of communications with ICE or that an arrest was going to take place, substantiating previous statements by the Mayor and Police Chief.
“The two Edison Officers involved will be counseled regarding their actions and responsibilities as Edison Police Officers. In accordance with Attorney General Guidelines, the names of the two officers involved will not be released. It is important to note, the ICE agents who made the arrest believed official coordination had been reached between the two agencies,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, community members, who have been battling the Mayor’s office over the mishandling of the entire episode, expressed frustration over the continued failure of the administration to take disciplinary action against “guilty” officers.
“It’s a whitewash job again,” said Kothari, expressing utter disappointment over the so-called investigation and its report. “This is yet another attempt to mislead the community.”
Kothari said there was no sense in investigation when no disciplinary action was to be taken even though the officers were found to be at fault. “They are not school kids to be simply counseled and let off,” he said angrily. “This is a mockery.”
Kothari questioned the authenticity of the investigation when the department refused to reveal the terms of investigation, the evidences scrutinized and the names of the officers found guilty of wrongdoing.
He also criticized the timing of the Mayor and Police Chief revealing the investigation report – the day before Thanksgiving holiday – which he said, was an attempt to backdoor the information to the public.
While not undermining the fact that Parikh had bent the laws, Kothari said there was no denying that his civil rights had been violated. “He (Parikh) was not in hiding, he was only protesting for his civil rights,” he said. “There are 20 million illegal aliens in this country, none gets treated as badly.”
As upset as he is with the authorities, Kothari said he blames his own community more for their “cowardice” in taking a stand against this injustice. “The Indian American community is divided and lacks bold leadership. What is the use of holding mega community conventions when you cannot take care of one member whose rights have been violated,” he asked.
Parikh, meanwhile, continues to languish under ICE detention pending procedures.
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