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Police chief: Bakersfield PD not participating in federal immigration operations; city dispatches four engines to Southern California fires
Summary
The police chief told the council that Bakersfield Police Department is not involved in federal immigration enforcement operations; the city also deployed four engines to assist with Southern California fires.
Councilmember Andre Gonzales raised constituent concerns about federal immigration enforcement actions and asked the chief of police to state the Bakersfield Police Department’s role.
Chief Terry said on the record that the Bakersfield Police Department is not participating in or supporting federal immigration enforcement operations and that state law prohibits use of local resources for immigration enforcement. He said BPD remains focused on local issues and urged residents to call for police services regardless of immigration status.
Separately, City Manager Clegg reported that the city had initially sent three engines to assist with Southern California fires and had since added a fourth engine and crew. The city manager said the emergency operations center the city is assisting was not requesting additional assistance at that time but the city remained in contact and on standby for further mutual‑aid requests.
No policy change or formal motion on immigration enforcement was made by the council; the chief’s statement and the mutual‑aid deployment were recorded on the public record.
