Police should be required to enforce all laws

I read the letter in Saturday’s Daily Pilot written by our former Costa Mesa police chief, Dave Snowden, with great interest (“Community Commentary, Dec. 3). A youth in the 1950s and 1960s, I have many memories of how Costa Mesa used to be.

Back in those days, we didn’t have gang problems or groups of day laborers soliciting on street corners or gathering in our parks. There weren’t stolen shopping carts left in the public right-of-way. Our public areas weren’t decorated with graffiti. We didn’t have the profusion of high-density apartments that now cause traffic, parking and other associated problems.

Well, it looks like Costa Mesa has evolved. Under the policies of our former chief, Snowden, we now have all those things and more. His article may explain why we have some of the problems we now endure. It sounds like during his tenure, he directed his police force to ignore the status of immigrants in our city. He said he didn’t want to alienate anyone, hoping this would encourage their cooperation with the police. Was this a successful tactic?

He likes having a city-sponsored job center in our city. He even supports our local charities and was often pictured handing out turkeys on holidays. What conclusion should we draw from the results of his approach to law enforcement? Did this make things better or just act as a greater incentive for many to come to a place where life was good with a city-sponsored job center (no questions asked) and local charities that supplied low-cost housing, food and free medical care?

Some might say that this approach created a sanctuary for people that are in our country illegally. And many might suggest that these benefits might even be so attractive that they might be characterized as a magnet for both the poor and illegal immigrants.

If our police chief chooses to look the other way and not enforce the laws of our country, what will we get? Maybe the problems we have today.

Snowden mentioned watching “some very mean-spirited, and in my opinion bigoted, gadflies at City Council meetings gain support for their effort to seemingly remove the Latino culture and influence from Costa Mesa.” Doesn’t he realize the recent change in our City Council makeup might be attributed to the fact the problem is getting so bad that our voters might finally be deciding to elect people that have the courage to correct the downward spiral we have experienced in our city?

Why does he think this is an attempt to remove people of Latino background from our city instead of just requiring that people of any race or ethnicity are here legally? Maybe he feels insulated, living in a wealthy section of Newport Beach and never having to deal with our problems on a day-to-day basis.

The Snowden letter offers the suggestion that our city police should protect everyone no matter “where a person is from or what their religion is.” I don’t believe this is the issue at all. We are not discussing people’s religion or country of origin. We are addressing the problem of people that are living in our country illegally.

When our police come in contact with a person because of a traffic infraction or any crime, they need to enforce the laws of our nation. This should include requiring identification that, if not available, should then dictate a more thorough inquiry.

I don’t believe we are asking our officers to stop anyone just because of their looks or apparent ethnicity but only to ask for the normal information that is required of anyone being questioned for a possible violation of the law.

The last part of Snowden’s article seemed to be way off the mark. If any person that has a police contact is unable to provide a legitimate identification, then I would expect a follow-up to determine their real identity. This has always been the standard approach by the police.

I do agree with Snowden that Americans come in all colors, but so do the millions of people that are living in our country illegally. I don’t believe we are asking our city police to stop anyone because of their looks or skin color, but only that a legitimate identification is required for everyone that comes in contact with them.

Finally, I must say I am personally distressed by the attempt of Snowden and others who seem to want to perpetuate the problems in our city and try to make this an issue of race or ethnicity when it is not.

PAUL BUNNEY

Costa Mesa