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Mayor presses police policy changes after Border Patrol hold; council adjourns to closed session
Summary
After describing a traffic stop where passengers who voluntarily handed over identification were later detained by Border Patrol on an outstanding warrant, Mayor Taylor pressed for changes to local police practice and asked the council to meet in closed session to consult the city attorney about two confidential legal opinions; council voted to adjourn to closed session.
Mayor Taylor described a recent traffic stop in Sterling Heights that became the basis for a broad questioning of current police practices and the city's federal partnerships.
The mayor said officers conducting a traffic stop requested identification from passengers who were not suspected of wrongdoing; after the officer checked names with federal authorities, Border Patrol arrived, detained several passengers and transported them to a federal facility. The mayor said the passengers had not been required to provide identification under the Constitution and said he was disturbed that voluntary requests for ID could lead to federal detention.
"They provided identification... Border Patrol said, hold them there. We're coming to pick them up," the mayor said, describing the sequence and adding that he had spoken with police leadership and city attorneys about how the practice is used.
The mayor also raised concerns about federal immigration-enforcement tactics and cited reported videos of federal agents using force; he said those national examples underscored the need to ensure the city's practices do not put residents at risk. The mayor asked the council to consider new policies to limit or better define when and how the Sterling Heights Police Department shares identifying information with federal agencies.
City and police leadership told the council they had been discussing policy modifications with the mayor over the prior days. The mayor said he wanted formal legal advice and moved to adjourn to closed session "pursuant to section 8(h) of the Open Meetings Act" to consult with the city attorney regarding two confidential legal opinions; council approved the motion by roll-call and left the meeting without returning to open session.
No formal ordinance or policy change was adopted at the meeting; the mayor said staff and police leadership were working on modifications to city policy and that further action would be necessary to prevent similar incidents.
