Alexandria, Virginia – The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), representing some 250,000 sworn state and local law enforcement officers across the United States, is concerned that the vital issue of officer safety is getting lost amidst the confusion and politicalization of federal immigration actions.

NAPO has long supported efforts to improve and support professionalism, accountability, and training in policing to ensure our officers can best serve and protect the public and themselves. We also support Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) efforts to detain and deport violent criminal aliens as an important tool to protect public safety. The recent scrutiny of immigration enforcement and the anti-law enforcement rhetoric being supported by some of our political leaders has put the important partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement in a perilous position.

In addition to the need of federal, state, and local law enforcement following accepted national police training and practices, we strongly urge collaboration between federal law enforcement and their state and local partners to maximize information sharing, safeguarding public safety and officer safety, whether it is local policy to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement or not. We share the same mission to protect public safety and safeguard officers’ rights and safety, and the current situation is doing nothing to promote either.

The challenges of information sharing and collaboration at all levels of government as well as the heated political rhetoric by elected officials has put officers and the citizens we serve in difficult and dangerous situations. It is untenable and we must find a path forward that protects the rights and safety of both officers and the public.

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