TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) \u2014 The Tampa Police Department\u2019s policy regarding immigration enforcement has been revised after Florida\u2019s attorney general accused Mayor Jane Castor of violating state laws.<\/p>\n
Attorney General James Uthmeier had threatened to remove Castor from office if changes were not made by the end of March. He claimed the mayor was \u201cforcing sanctuary policies<\/a>\u201d on the police department and not allowing officers to share certain information with federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n Florida gas prices rising at the highest rate in 4 years: AAA <\/a><\/p>\n The attorney general particularly took issue with the police department withholding information about the legal status of victims and witnesses of crimes \u2014 a policy that seeks to reassure immigrants that they will not face deportation if they report a crime.<\/p>\n The mayor replied to the attorney general in a letter dated March 16, stating that she had reviewed the police department\u2019s policy and made revisions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend to publish and distribute the updated policy to our officers effective immediately,\u201d the mayor wrote. \u201cThe City of Tampa has no intentions of violating state or federal law. We will continue to use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law, as well as state law.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s office provided copies of the former<\/a> and current<\/a> policy. Much of the policy appeared to be unchanged. However, revisions were made to a section titled \u201cstandards and limitations for immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n A subsection was reworded, now citing language directly from Florida statute regarding immigration policies, and specifying under what circumstances officers don\u2019t have to share information related to a victim or witness with federal immigration authorities. This includes when a person is necessary to the investigation of a crime and is cooperating with police, per the updated policy.<\/p>\n The section previously read, \u201cOfficers are not required to share information with federal immigration authorities regarding victims or witnesses of crime, nor shall they inquire into or investigate the immigration status of cooperative victims, witnesses, or individuals requesting police services.\u201d<\/p>\n 8 On Your Side showed the revisions to the President of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association, Brandon Barclay.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there was a concerted effort to say we\u2019re not going to be in compliance. So I think it was just a matter of interpretation. And clearly the city got the interpretation wrong,\u201d Barclay said. \u201cKnowing the mayor, being the former police chief, I knew that she would immediately come in compliance with whatever was required.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of the section also previously described how \u201cthese restrictions are intended to foster and preserve trust between the department and immigrant communities, ensuring that individuals feel safe reporting crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n However, that paragraph was changed to directly cite state statute. It now reads, \u201cFlorida Statute 908.104 (9) does not authorize a law enforcement agency to detain an alien unlawfully present in the United States pursuant to an immigration detainer solely because the alien witnessed or reported a crime or was a victim of a criminal offense.\u201d<\/p>\n A third paragraph was completely nixed from the TPD policy. The removed paragraph previously stated that \u201cofficers are prohibited from engaging in broad-based immigration enforcement actions (e.g. workplace enforcement operations, traffic checkpoints, area saturation sweeps).\u201d<\/p>\n