Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Utica has a Flock camera network.
A village police department is the first law enforcement agency in central Ohio to establish a direct partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Village of Utica, on the border of Licking and Knox counties, entered into the task force model of a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which allows police officers to “enforce limited immigration authority while preforming routine police duties” and as “active participants on ICE-led task forces,” according to ICE.
Utica’s agreement started July 20, according to an ICE database. The village is home to approximately 2,000 residents.
Mayor James Quinif and Administrator Glen Richards did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Utica joins nearly two dozen other municipal and county-level law enforcement agencies in Ohio that have partnered with ICE, including sheriff’s offices in Butler, Lake, Fayette, Warren and Lake counties. Most of the other municipalities with agreements are predominantly rural villages such as Aberdeen, Jamestown and Peebles.
Utica appears to receive data from nearby systems of Flock Safety automatic license plate reading cameras, which have come under scrutiny over whether law enforcement is using them to aid in immigration enforcement. The City of Columbus does not appear to be sharing data with the village, but at least two suburbs in Franklin County are sharing data: Hilliard and Groveport.
The task force model allows local police to “enforce limited immigration authority while performing routine police duties,” ICE’s website states. ICE trains police so they can issue ICE detainers, arrest and search warrants and question people about their immigration status under the model. It’s one of three the agency offers through the program.
ICE has a list of police agencies participating in the program on its website. As of Aug. 13, ICE had more than 2,300 agreements across 39 states and a few U.S. territories with agencies, and most of the agreements involve the task force model.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/suburban trending news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Utica first in central Ohio to have 287(g) agreement with ICE
Reporting by Anna Lynn Winfrey and Josué Perez, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Anna Lynn Winfrey and Josué Perez, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
