We check in with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck on his response to Trump’s deportation plans, recent protests, CA props and more; will President-elect Trump’s policies be blocked by fiscal conservatives?; a second look at battleground state exit polls; and did 30 percent of Latino voters really turn out for Trump, or is there an issue with polling data?
LAPD Chief Beck: 'Immigration is not the job of local law enforcement'
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck joined AirTalk Wednesday to answer questions about challenges the LAPD might face from the federal government if the department does not follow stepped up enforcement of immigration laws.
Beck said nothing would change in how the LAPD deals with people in the country illegally. As is the case with all municipal police departments, it is not obligated nor resourced to look for people living in the country illegally.
"I depend on them to be witnesses to crime, I depend on them to report crime, I depend on them to support the police department," Beck said on Airtalk, "and none of that is as likely to happen if we become an arm of immigration enforcement."
The chief also talked about criticism and praise over the policing of protests against Donald Trump in recent days, as well as racial profiling and the repercussions of the newly passed Props 57 and 64.
Interview Highlights
On deportation enforcement
Beck: We will continue to work with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] where it's appropriate but also to maintain the posture that we've maintained for decades now, which is that immigration is not the job of local law enforcement... that it is the job of the federal government [...]
It is to the detriment of local law enforcement if we were to venture into that arena, and that's because no matter whether you think it's right, wrong or indifferent, the reality is that there are over 500,000 people in Los Angeles...that are undocumented immigrants and they are a portion of the population that I police...I depend on them for support, I depend on them to be witnesses to crime, I depend on them to report crime, I depend on them to support the police department. And none of that is as likely to happen if we become an arm of immigration enforcement.
On whether LAPD currently holds people who are undocumented and have felony convictions for ICE
Beck: No, we will not. What we will do is we will make ICE aware that we have this person in custody and if agents come before the release time or at the release time, they are available for them at that time.
On criticisms regarding racial profiling of African-Americans
Beck: We focus as a society way too much on race in these issues ... The primary determining factor about whether someone's going to go into the criminal justice system... is not the color of their skin, it's their degree of education. It's not who their parents were, it's whether or not they have access to jobs, whether or not they have access to health care, whether or not they have access to housing...
On preventing racial profiling
Beck: We do it through education, we do it through our anti-bias training...we do it through the selection of police officers, we do it by making sure our police officers represent the people that we serve.
On the L.A. Police Protective League's criticism of LAPD's supervision of the anti-Trump protests
Beck: Wednesday night was a difficult night, we were spread across the city with multiple incidents... it's a balancing act, so we had to spread our resources. I think the command officers that were in charge that night did a good job. What you saw was Los Angeles Police Department controlling thousands of people and in the end making arrests legally, without excessive force.
On the legalization of marijuana
Beck: This is going to create an additional layer of danger for motorists... It's going to become really important that people do what we've been doing with alcohol and pick designated drivers or recognize that if you're feeling anything, then you are impaired and do not drive [...]
We adapted to the medicinal aspects of marijuana and we'll adapt to this... The hardest thing for your listeners is going to be... the way that we all live, with legal cannabis shops and legal cannabis cultivation and all that goes with it.
On fears that more pot shops, which are cash-only businesses, could cause an increase in robberies
Beck: The fact that it's a cash business, that makes it attractive for crime... We need to, as a society, find a different way to transfer funds.
On the passage of Prop 57, which is expected to lead to the release of thousands of “nonviolent” felons
Beck: It's not easy to make it into prison in California. People think it is but it takes a significant track record to go to state prison, especially now with [Prop] 47 where so many crimes are handled within the county system. Once somebody gets there, then I think we should be very diligent about their suitability for release and I hope that our parole system will be able to do that.
On what constitutes a “nonviolent” crime
Beck: Folks would be shocked at the definition of "nonviolent" crimes and I see that back and forth between the governor and the DA's about who's responsible for that definition... Hopefully our parole system will recognize which crimes are truly nonviolent and which are not.
Interviews have been edited for clarity. Hear the full discussion by clicking the playhead above.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets
Weighing the potential for budget in-fighting between Trump, Congressional Republicans
With a Republican-controlled House and Senate, on paper it would seem Donald Trump’s ability to pass legislation is essentially unfettered by typical partisan bickering.
However, the President-elect may have more of a challenge in getting fiscal conservatives on board with his early plans, like his call for a $1 trillion overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure. He’s also promised increased defense spending and, of course, the border wall that has become a staple item for his campaign as well as increased spending on border security.
However, this clashes directly with Paul Ryan and the GOP establishment’s ‘Better Way’ plan, their blueprint for smaller government with significantly decreased spending. Ryan was nominated Tuesday for another term as Speaker of the House, so he and President-elect Trump have work ahead if they want to continue showcasing GOP unity while still getting work done to pass legislation through Congress. Trump really doesn’t fall in line with any established wing of the conservative movement, a significant departure from the way things were during much of John Boehner’s term as Speaker, which was highlighted by GOP in-fighting between establishment and Tea Party conservatives.
How might things be different this time around with Paul Ryan as Speaker? What can be learned from the GOP’s history of budget in-fighting with Tea Party conservatives? Who is more likely to back down on their agenda, Congressional Republicans or a Trump White House?
Guest:
Lisa Mascaro, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering Congress in Washington, D.C.; she tweets
Obama administration pushes for more security on internet-connected devices
The Obama administration urged the technology industry to secure millions of Internet-connected devices from hacking, including fitness trackers, medical implants, surveillance cameras, home appliances, video recorders, thermostats and computers in autos.
In a report obtained by the Associated Press, the Homeland Security Department cited runaway security problems with a range of devices that have been made Internet-capable in recent years. The report said they posed “substantial safety and economic risks” and recommended urgent action by software and hardware developers, service providers, manufacturers and commercial and government buyers.Robert Silvers, assistant secretary for cyber policy, led a six-month review, coordinating with cybersecurity experts, industry groups and other federal agencies.
The report’s suggestions include: ensuring security settings are turned on by default, requiring unique passwords for each device and enabling products to be fixed remotely.
With AP files.
Guest:
Kim Zetter, journalist who covered security for “Wired” and other publications for more than a decade; author, "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon"
Why Latino groups are challenging exit poll data
As part of a string of surprises this election season, Edison Research, a leading exit poll company, showed that nearly 30 percent of Latinos voted for Trump.
But a coalition of Latino groups are disputing the results, and turning to pre-election data with much lower numbers supporting the president-elect. In particular, the coalition cites the Latino Decisions Election Eve Poll taken from November 4 to 7, which only showed 18 percent of Latinos supported Trump.
According to a recent POLITICO article, representatives of Edison Research, which conducts exit polls for various news outlets, has stood by the company’s results. Executive Vice President Joe Lenski claims that Edison’s polls better reflect the national landscape of Hispanic voters than the Latino Decisions poll.
But Latino Decisions representatives argue that Edison’s exit polls don’t give a fair representation of concentrated Hispanic communities.
Larry speaks to Co-Founder of Latino Decisions Gary Segura and professor of political science, Francisco Pedraza, to get his take on the accuracy of exit polls and Latino voters.
*Note: AirTalk reached out to Edison Research, but their Executive Vice President Joe Lenski declined the interview due to a prior commitment.
Guests:
Gary M. Segura, co-founder and senior partner of the polling firm Latino Decisions
Francisco Pedraza, assistant professor of public policy and political science at UC Riverside