Los Angeles Police Chief Will Continue To Stay Out Of Immigration Issues Under Trump

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck says President-elect Donald Trump's vows to deport millions after taking office will not affect his department's longstanding policy of staying out of immigration issues.

Beck told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/2fOsjih0 on Monday that his officers are "not going to engage in law enforcement activities solely based on somebody's immigration status."

Beck says it is not the LAPD's job to work in conjunction on deportation with Homeland Security, and that's not going to change.

It has been department policy for decades not to initiate contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally.

During Beck's tenure he has taken this further and avoided turning over people with questionable immigration status who are arrested for low-level crimes.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.