SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Police Department has new guidelines for dealing with people who might be impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Police Chief Kevin Hall created the protocols this week after community concerns about masked federal agents. The guidelines were sent out the same day federal agents arrested nine people from a June 11 ICE protest.
The rules tell officers what to do when they arrive at a scene. Officers must use “principles of de-escalation for all who are present.” If the agents are real, police cannot interfere with federal enforcement.
Masked federal agents have become more common in recent months. This has created fear in the community because people don’t know how to tell if someone is a real agent.
“What I was getting from the community members was there was a fear, a real tangible fear, that people who are not federal agents, bad actors, so to speak, who would be using the tactics that the federal agents are currently using in California and other places, where they’re masking up, they’re not identifying themselves,” Police Chief Kevin Hall said.
Hall says his department’s guidelines are similar to those used by the Los Angeles police. The goal is to keep officers and the community safe.
SPD has also shared the guidelines with the local ICE office.
Hall hopes the protocols won’t be needed, but he knows the region has militia groups. These people often dress like federal agents, which creates valid concerns in the community.
You can read the full guidelines from SPD below:
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