09-07-2017, 04:51 PM
(09-07-2017, 03:12 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: How do you figure it's not legal what they're claiming to do? It's not legal for law enforcement to refuse to follow through on an arrest warrant. That's not their decision to make. If someone with a warrant that's wanted for sexual assault is allowed into the shelter and they rape someone, Polk county is in even worse shape both morally and financially. You focused on the parking ticket, but what about the people wanted for rape, assault, murder, etc? If you're going to check for them, then you have to check for everyone, and if you check for everyone, then how are you going to let people with arrest warrants go free? Where's the dividing line between not criminal enough to arrest and too criminal to allow free reign?
There were some horror stories out there about shelters during/after Katrina. It seems like they don't want a repeat of that.
It's not a perfect solution by any means, but if you have to err on the side of the law abiding, or err on the side of those with an arrest warrant out for them, then the police should err on the side of the law abiding.
A police officer can not stop and ID someone without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. Since the statements of the Sheriff were made public that it was going to be a drag net of everyone this would be a reasonable assumption of a violation of the 4th amendment. The supreme court has already ruled that "Stop and ID" laws like what florida has are legal, however they CAN NOT be used to carry out wide sweeping requests for ID without a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. As I said, they would waste far more tax payer (and ticket payer) money settling these violations than anything gained from this illegal operation.
