Nov. 19--GREENSBORO -- Police leaders will explore whether they can use a private identification card to help them identify undocumented immigrants, police told residents at a forum Sunday.
Winston-Salem police accept identification cards issued by the nonprofit CHANGE to help them tell who someone is if the person doesn't have a government-issued ID.
Greensboro Deputy Police Chief Dwight Crotts said police leaders will discuss whether the city should adopt a similar policy.
It was an idea that appealed to residents at the forum hosted by FaithAction International House at Christ Wesleyan Church.
More than 60 residents gathered to talk with four Greensboro police officers about issues facing the immigrant community. It was the third of its kind this year.
"It's great because it opens the door to more conversation," said Maria Cecilia, a member of the audience.
Audience members were concerned about what kind of identification they can use when dealing with police, such as in traffic stops. In North Carolina, undocumented immigrants cannot have driver's licenses.
Officers said that they need identification to make sure they charge the proper person with a crime or driving infraction. If officers can't positively identify a person, they will take them to jail until they can figure out who they are, Capt. Mike Richey said.
Residents asked if they could use cards issued by a consulate to prove their identity.
Officers said that kind of ID alone might not be enough.
For instance, Richey said the consulate ID showed by a Niger national in the audience might not be accepted by a police officer because the photo is blurry.
Officers also have to question identification cards issued by the Mexican consultant because some of those have been counterfeited.
Even if the Greensboro police decide to accept the CHANGE card, the officers stressed that those IDs do not give a person the right to drive a car.
"Sometimes, perhaps, it will make you feel hopeless. But there may be some things that will happen in the state or local government that will make everyone's life easier," the Rev. David Fraccaro, executive director of FaithAction, told the audience. "That's why it is so important for your voices to be heard."
The police officers, including two who are bilingual, stressed that they do not enforce immigration laws and want to help all victims of crime, regardless of legal status.
"Please, if you do not have an ID, it does not mean you can't call us if there has been a crime," Richey said.
Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
