Duval police explain limits on local immigration enforcement at community workshop
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Summary
At a Feb. 3 workshop, Duval Police Chief Cutler reviewed Washington’s Keep Washington Working Act and Attorney General guidance, telling residents that local officers generally cannot enforce federal immigration laws, cannot collect citizenship data in routine contacts, and will document and forward alleged misuse of force to prosecutors and independent investigators.
Duval — In a community workshop on Feb. 3, Duval Police Chief Cutler told residents the Keep Washington Working Act and the Washington attorney general’s model policy restrict local police from enforcing federal immigration laws and from routinely collecting citizenship information.
Why it matters: The chief’s explanation responded to community concern about federal immigration activity and clarified what Duval officers can and cannot do — particularly about sharing custody data, cooperating with federal detainers, and allowing federal agents to interview people detained solely about immigration status.
At the meeting, Chief Cutler summarized the law and AGO guidance and emphasized the department’s limits: “Local law enforcement cannot enforce immigration laws,” he said, explaining that state law and RCWs do not authorize local officers to take on federal immigration‑enforcement roles. He added that the department prohibits sharing detainee immigration status with federal authorities except where state law or a valid legal process requires it.
Residents pressed the chief on crowd‑control roles and whether Duval officers would intervene if federal agents used force. The chief said the department’s primary role is de‑escalation and documentation: officers will “document the incident as much as you can,” activate body‑worn cameras when appropriate, and forward potential criminal cases to the prosecutor for review. He also noted that serious uses of force in Washington are routinely investigated by independent teams (iFIT), not by the local agency involved.
On surveillance technology, the chief told the audience, “Duval Police Department doesn’t use ALPRs,” clarifying that officers can manually run license plates via state systems but the city does not operate automated license‑plate‑reader networks.
The police department invited residents to give written feedback via comment cards and said staff will collect and consider those submissions; the chief asked that community input be returned within a week when possible so the department can incorporate it into policy implementation.
What’s next: The department will collect written comments, maintain the posted FAQ and policy material on the city website, and continue the public conversation. The chief said specific enforcement questions could require investigation and legal review by prosecutors before definitive action is taken.
