We Are Not a Sanctuary City, Says Utah Police Chief

PARK CITY, Utah – The police chief of this city was quick to affirm his department is cooperating with federal immigration officials and is certainly not a sanctuary city. The comments from the Park City chief of police came during the annual Sundance Film Festival.

“I can tell you with certainty Park City is not a sanctuary city,” Park City Chief of Police Wade Carpenter told the Park Record.

Like many police departments in the country, his officers are not out looking to enforce immigration law. Carpenter said his department does cooperate with the state’s attorney general and federal immigration officials “if it is necessary that they be involved in a case.”

Breitbart Texas spoke with Chief Carpenter in Park City on Sunday. “We work closely with all levels of law enforcement — local, state, and federal,” He explained. “If one of our officers makes an arrest for a crime, the suspect’s background is checked. If we learn the person is in the country illegally, we contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.”

The chief also said his department honors all immigration detainers from ICE officials. “It’s about the rule of law,” Carpenter said. He said his department is also active in seeking out instances of human trafficking which he called a problem all across Utah, and the U.S.

In addition to his service as chief of the Park City Police Department, Carpenter also serves as vice president at-large for the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

President Trump signed an executive order on January 25 that directed the Office of Management and Budget to track federal grant money being sent to “any sanctuary jurisdiction,” Breitbart News reported.

“We’re going to strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters during the daily press briefing.

California’s sanctuary city mayors quickly vowed to resist President Trump’s orders.  “I am here today to say we are still a sanctuary city,” San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee told reporters following Trump’s announcement.

Chief Carpenter quickly moved in the opposite direction. “We are not a sanctuary city. We have not changed our policing style,” Carpenter told the local newspaper.

Hispanics make up about 25 percent of the local population in Park City, according to the Park Record.

Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez, a Democrat, also said his department is not a sanctuary jurisdiction. He confirmed that his department forwards information about illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes including homicide, drug trafficking, and human trafficking to federal immigration officials.

“We have every intent to continue law enforcement operations as we have done,” the sheriff told the Park Record.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.