AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: AUGUST 2017 25 T he controversies surround- ing the current administra- tion’s immigration crack- down continue. In New York the governor just pardoned a hero 9/11 worker who is sick from working at Ground Zero after the attacks. It’s unclear if the pardon will keep the man from getting deported. Also in New York, ICE grabbed the wrong guy in a case of mis- taken identity who later died in custody. And in North Carolina, there was public outrage over police checkpoints that appear to be focused entirely on immigration enforcement near schools with large Latino populations. According to a recent report from Indy Week, the Durham Police Department has been ordered to stop conducting all traffic check- points. Police Chief C.J. Davis recently announced the policy change at a Durham Congregations, Associa- tions, and Neighborhoods meeting. Some 1,300 residents packed the meeting and voiced their concerns about selective enforcement. Davis told the audience that she was “very disturbed about what is happening in our nation” and as- sured attendees that “checkpoints in the city of Durham have been directed to cease and desist.” Before the lawsuits And just what the hell are you guys up to out there? “What’s the code for Chihua- hua in a hole again?” In Washington D.C. recently, two officers responded to just such a service call and got down and dirty. Usually it’s curiosity that kills the cat but this time the small dog got a little too close to the ledge of a five-foot deep hole and was crying to be rescued. A Twitter message from D.C. police Chief Peter Newsham shows one of the two officers holding the other’s legs as he dives in to make the grab. Both the dog and the cops are fine, according to reports. Newsham commended the of- ficers in his message, saying they went “above and beyond.” The officers were not identi- fied in the agency’s Facebook post. Yeah – I’ll try not to waste valu- able police resources or whatever anymore but I’m really small and super bored. So no promises or anything – but I’ll try and stay out of the hole. Wrap a virtual fence around your community to proactively prevent crime and improve safety. Add investigative power and enhance safety with fixed license plate recognition cameras without increasing manpower. Strategically positioned cameras at entries and exits create the virtual fence. • Receive alerts when vehicles of interest enter your community • Identify rolling stolens • Get more information for criminal investigations 2017 Vigilantsolutions.com License Plate Recognition. Analytics. Facial Recognition.