PETITION TO PROTECT VERMONT COMMUNITIES FROM PROFILING, BIASED POLICING & UNFAIR IMMIGRATION PRACTICES
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PETITION
WE DEMAND A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL POLICING POLICY THAT:
- Prohibits information sharing with federal immigration authorities when not required by federal law;
- Protects victims and witnesses of crimes, regardless of immigration status;
- Ensures that Vermonters living and working close to the northern border not be subject to profiling;
- Limits deportation agents’ access to individuals in the custody of Vermont law enforcement; and
- Contains clear directives within the FIPP regarding Training, Compliance, Accountability, and Supervision.
The current FIPP was written with strong input from the the Human Rights Commission, human rights and racial justice organizations. In September, 2017 the policy was reviewed by the Vermont Attorney General’s office and determined to be compliant with immigration law and adopted by the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. Act 54 states that the Criminal Justice Training Council, “in consultation with stakeholders… shall update its model fair and impartial policing policy to provide one cohesive model policy for law enforcement agencies…”
The version of the policy that the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council is NOW proposing severely compromises the tenets of transparency and accountability. It also departs from previously agreed language limiting local law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement.
The policy is an important tool in the fight for racial justice in our state, but only if it includes measures for real accountability and real protections for people who are most likely to be targeted by law enforcement.
It’s time to take action for racial justice in Vermont. Our state’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy (FIPP) is under attack. This is an important document that creates safeguards from biased policing and ensures that all of us receive equal treatment under the law, regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, religion, gender or any other aspect of who we are or how we’re perceived by law enforcement.