There are many words that can describe the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents involved in the deadly shooting in Minneapolis last week – goons, hooligans, thugs, hotshots – but certainly not outstanding public servants!  It will be weeks or months before the investigation of the incident, solely under the direction of the FBI, is made public, if it ever is.  The rush to judgement by Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, blaming victim Renee Good for her own demise, flies in the face of how investigations of fatal incidents should be handled.  

In most cases until recently, local law enforcement experts would be asked, indeed encouraged, to participate in investigations with federal officials to ensure that community standards are understood and upheld.  Local police departments work diligently to establish and nurture community trust to ensure safety of the population, eliminating language and cultural barriers for all of the residents and visitors in a jurisdiction. In Fairfax County, that effort includes monthly community meetings with police leadership that have been conducted for decades.  Newer popular activities include “Coffee with a Cop,” quarterly scheduled discussions with faith leaders and business owners, and holiday gift drives.  More than 1200 wrapped gifts and toys were distributed by Mason Station officers and volunteers in December, and a pajama and slipper give-away is planned for later this month by the same station. “Stuff the Cruiser” drives at local supermarkets collect thousands of pounds of food for food pantries and local food distribution sites. These and other activities are replicated in each of the county’s nine police districts and underscore Fairfax County’s “Public Trust and Confidentiality Policy,” adopted by the Board of Supervisors five years ago this month. 

Late last year, the Trump Administration announced plans to spend $100 million to hire thousands of new ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents.  The effort is part of the administration’s actions to secure the borders and enforce immigration laws by deporting more than one million immigrants per year from the United States, as demanded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.  Many federal officers are dedicated professionals, but the new recruitment plan focuses on people who attend Ultimate Fighting Championship events, are interested in weapons, and listen to conservative radio shows and country music.  Geo-fencing may be used to send ICE recruiting messages to attendees’ cell phones and track their movements within an identified area. A previous hiring spree revealed that vetting was poor, with many applicants unable to meet simple educational and physical requirements; some candidates had criminal records. The Minneapolis shooting has called into question the effectiveness of training, especially when agents are assigned to urban areas far from U.S. borders.

In a recent published letter to The Washington Post, retired police chief J. Thomas Manger, who headed large police departments in Fairfax County (VA), Montgomery County (MD), and at the U.S. Capital, wrote that police recruitment must target the “best candidates who have an interest in serving their community as a police officer.”  Chief Manger added that “Every law enforcement agency should be seeking candidates with traits and talents that make a good cop, including integrity and the ability to communicate with anyone in any circumstance.  Courage, intelligence, compassion and cooperation are other important traits to determine suitability for law enforcement work.”  His letter concluded that “political leanings, music preferences, and enjoying a good fight are irrelevant.”

Law enforcement is a public service, always a difficult and dangerous one.  Most residents see law enforcement as first responders, speeding to incidents with lights and siren, ready to render aid whatever the situation.  Public safety officers care, they counsel, they treat, they mourn, with humanity and empathy.  Homeland Security and ICE would be wise to heed Chief Manger’s advice, and recruit only those who will make public service their North Star, not a shooting star.