TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Dozens of local and state officers across Florida are taking training with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help make arrests and detainments.
Satellite Beach Police is one of the agencies preparing to train officers to help with immigration enforcement.
Despite opposition at last week’s meeting, the City Council okayed the department entering into a partnership with ICE.
“I don’t want our police officers to become an arm of ICE, “one constituent said at the meeting, adding that it would tarnish the “beloved relationship” law enforcement has with the community.
Satellite Beach Chief Jeffrey Pearson says he wants all his officers to receive the training.
“Should we run into someone with a warrant with regards to immigration… we will now have the training and ability to handle it just like any other violation,” Pearson said.
The 40-hour training is an online course. Some agencies, like Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, are offering an in-person course so officers can ask questions.
Channel 9 found it varied from agency to agency how many officers they selected to complete the training.
-Osceola County Sheriff’s Office: 26 deputies
-Volusia County Sheriff’s Office: roughly 28 deputies
-Seminole County Sheriff’s Office: roughly 32 deputies
-Orange County Sheriff’s Office: about 100 out of their nearly 1800 sworn deputies.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office says the training covers administrative, legal and operational issues. Once the training is completed, officers are able to join a task force run by ICE.
The Sheriff’s Office added “no immigration enforcement can take place outside of supervision or direction of ICE and participating personnel are bound by all federal civil rights statues.”
Dan Marquith is a former senior advisor to the ICE Director. He says the enforcement process hasn’t changed. Now, there’s just more officers able to take action. He says he’s completed the same training officers are taking now, saying it’s detailed and based on scenarios officers may run into. He says the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers create the training.
“I can tell you, FLETC is the leader across the globe when it comes to law enforcement training. They’re looked at as standard,” Marquith said.
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