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Hancock County public commenter urges discussion of ICE; sheriff says department follows law
Summary
A resident asked Hancock County commissioners to put ICE enforcement on a future agenda; the county sheriff told commissioners he does not initiate ICE actions, follows statutes and orders, and would evaluate any specific allegation before acting.
A resident asked the Hancock County Commission on Feb. 3 to place discussion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a future agenda, saying they were “very concerned about the process of figuring out what to do about ICE,” and requesting the board address the issue at a later meeting.
The chair invited the county sheriff to respond. The sheriff (Unidentified) told commissioners he “doesn't initiate anything when it comes to the labels of that,” saying the department “follows the rules, the regulations” and would accept custody of individuals if another law enforcement officer brought them into county facilities. “If the law says we can do this, we do. If the law says we can't, we don't,” he said.
During a follow-up exchange the resident asked how the sheriff would respond if ICE were performing an “illegal process.” The sheriff said he had not received complaints of that kind locally and that he would “react to any situation, with the resources that we have” and examine the facts before deciding whether his office would become involved.
The resident raised concerns about conflicting state and federal legislation and the safety implications for sheriff's staff and residents; the sheriff acknowledged the potential conflict and said he appreciated the safety concern but reiterated he could not respond to hypothetical scenarios without specific allegations.
Other public commenters raised questions about how officers are identified in arrest videos and whether officers wear badges or masks; the sheriff responded that uniforms and badges display identification and names.
The chair and commissioners did not take immediate action on the request; the public commenter asked to have the topic added to the next meeting’s agenda.
