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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Salt Lake City's police chief says a new law could let residents file lawsuits to force the department to enforce federal immigration laws.
Police Chief Chris Burbank says the law taking effect July 1 lets residents go to court if they feel agencies aren't following the bill.
He says that might lead to someone suing the police department in an effort to get officers to investigate people's immigration status or become certified federal immigration agents.
Burbank worries that might keep people from calling the police because they're scared of being deported.
Former Republican state Sen. John Hickman says it wasn't the intent of the bill to force police departments to become immigration officers, but he says someone may want to pursue the issue in court.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
