Arizona State Senator John Kavanagh has asked the State Attorney General’s Office if Phoenix Police violated provisions of SB1070, and Arizona immigration law, after adopting policy changes this summer. Specifically, Phoenix Police Ops Order 4.48 (police interactions with Customs and Immigration Enforcement) is in question.
According to Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, the re-write of Ops Order 4.48 came out of the Sanctuary Cities debate.
Kavanagh, a former police officer, believes that the recent changes to the policy illegally restricts enforcing the part of SB 1070 that permits officers to inquire about a person’s immigration status.
Kavanagh teaches criminal justice at Scottsdale Community College. According to the Arizona Legislature’s website, Kavanagh “served 20 years as a police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, retiring as a detective sergeant.”