Recently a letter to the editor was submitted to the Daily
Camera in which the Lafayette Police Department was accused of using a Move
Over traffic safety campaign as a cover for immigration enforcement. This
was an opinion by a third party that was not involved in the traffic stop and
was inaccurate information and not true. The Lafayette Police Department
strongly believes in equal protection under the law and the rule of law.
We treat everyone equally regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
On February 16th the Lafayette Police Department
participated in a statewide campaign to educate and enforce the requirement for
motorists to pull to the left and yield to police officers who have stopped
motorist alongside the roadway. Lafayette participated along with other
Boulder County agencies and agencies across the state. Colorado has seen
several deaths of police officers due to being struck by motorists who have
failed to move over or significantly slow down if unable to safely move a lane to
the left. Lafayette officers have experienced close calls due to
this and we felt it was important to shift resources for this traffic safety
campaign and participate as our call load allowed. As a result of this
effort, one motorist who was stopped, and based on all of the concern about ICE
enforcement recently, felt our campaign was an effort to identify undocumented
immigrants and apprehend them. This was not the case. Immigration
enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of ICE and not the Lafayette Police
Department. We do not ask citizens we contact for proof of citizenship or
immigration status.