"Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris responds to opportunists exploiting the death of a police officer to advance a "racist political agenda."

By Jack Harris

Phoenix Police Chief

The following is a column by Phoenix Public Safety Manager Jack Harris. It ran in the Perspective Section of The Arizona Republic on Sunday, September 23rd:

Sept. 24, 2007 08:02 AM

"Am I saddened by another senseless murder of a Phoenix police officer? Yes, of course I am. But I am also saddened when I turn on the radio and hear some useless gasbag using the murder of Officer Nick Erfle to promote a personal, racist political agenda.

It is true that three out of the last 10 murdered Phoenix officers were killed by people born outside the United States, but that also means that seven were killed by citizens of this country. Where is the outrage toward those suspects? Could it be that the people spewing their immigration propaganda do not care about a murdered officer unless he or she is killed by an immigrant? It certainly would appear so, and that saddens me. The same people who hide behind a microphone and have done nothing productive for this community point fingers at the mayor of this city and blame Police Department policy for this tragedy.

The mayor does not write or approve police policy, I do. If these folks do not like my policy they are free to come and see me, but they better bring something to the table other than their agenda and rhetoric. I am not inclined to turn my officers into immigration agents just because it suits a politician's purpose. The people behind the rhetoric will never have to kneel down and present a flag to a widow shaking with fear and grief and try to give her a few words of comfort.

Am I saddened about the loss of Officer Erfle?

Am I saddened by how his death is being used? You will never know how much. Here are the facts about Phoenix:

· In the past 12 months, Phoenix Police have arrested 3,500 illegal immigrants who committed crimes, and found more than 2,000 others whose only crime was being in this country illegally. In each of those cases, Phoenix PD notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take custody of them.

· Phoenix PD arrests TEN TIMES more illegal immigrants than any other law enforcement agency in Arizona -- except ICE.

· Phoenix has 10 ICE agents imbedded in the Police Department to assist in investigations of human smuggling, narco-trafficking, and other crimes related to illegal immigration. We are the only department in the country with embedded ICE agents.

· Two years ago, the killer of Officer Nick Erfle was arrested by Phoenix Police, prosecuted, and convicted. Prior to completing his sentence, he was deported by ICE, but easily crossed back over our border with Mexico. At the time of his death, Officer Erfle was attempting to arrest this criminal again -- this time on a misdemeanor warrant.

Phoenix police did everything they were supposed to do – but the federal government must stop the revolving door at the border. "