buddylee
09-23-2005, 12:53 AM
And the NAACP crys foul!
Why is this a bad thing!
everyone know New Orleans had Highest murder rate in the country
HARRISBURG - Philadelphia is among several cities and states where law-enforcement officials are checking to see whether Hurricane Katrina evacuees have criminal backgrounds.
"The first, main concern is that we don't want to house or have a person that is wanted for murder, rape or robbery or some other serious incident," said Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson. "The second thing is that we don't want any sex offenders around children that [are] going to be housed in the facilities that we're providing."
So far, Philadelphia police have found no fugitives or sex offenders among the roughly 60 evacuees living in the city, Johnson said.
More than 1,600 Katrina refugees have given the federal government a Pennsylvania address as they pursue disaster assistance, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Maria Smith said yesterday.
It's unclear whether any Pennsylvania cities or counties besides Philadelphia, which accepted airlifted evacuees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are conducting background checks. In Pittsburgh, Allegheny County police referred questions to the Emergency Services Department, which did not return several messages seeking comment.
Larry Frankel, the Pennsylvania legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said such checks can create a climate of fear that runs counter to the spirit of helping people whose lives have been uprooted by forces beyond their control.
He said there are serious questions whether the checks are being done in a consistent way, because Katrina victims who drive into the state, or who don't seek shelter from the government, may not be subject to them.
People should have a way to challenge government records for inaccuracies, Frankel said, adding that he worried the checks could be the first step toward refusing relief services to people with criminal histories.
"What I guess I'm uncomfortable with is the kind of ad hoc nature, that all of a sudden we're doing this," he said. A more reasonable approach, he said, would be to conduct hearings and allow people to weigh in before adopting a background-check policy.
The state Emergency Management Agency's executive director, Adrian R. King Jr., said state government was preparing to conduct the checks when Pennsylvania was in line to receive thousands of refugees, pursuant to a law requiring background checks for public-housing residents. But as it became apparent in recent days that such numbers would not materialize, the state decided to let local police agencies determine how the checks should be done.
Johnson said Philadelphia police are taking at their word the identities of benefits seekers who do not have driver's licenses or similar identification. Later, he said, the city may check with officials in the Gulf Coast to verify that the people receiving help were residents of areas affected by the storm.
Why is this a bad thing!
everyone know New Orleans had Highest murder rate in the country
HARRISBURG - Philadelphia is among several cities and states where law-enforcement officials are checking to see whether Hurricane Katrina evacuees have criminal backgrounds.
"The first, main concern is that we don't want to house or have a person that is wanted for murder, rape or robbery or some other serious incident," said Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson. "The second thing is that we don't want any sex offenders around children that [are] going to be housed in the facilities that we're providing."
So far, Philadelphia police have found no fugitives or sex offenders among the roughly 60 evacuees living in the city, Johnson said.
More than 1,600 Katrina refugees have given the federal government a Pennsylvania address as they pursue disaster assistance, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Maria Smith said yesterday.
It's unclear whether any Pennsylvania cities or counties besides Philadelphia, which accepted airlifted evacuees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are conducting background checks. In Pittsburgh, Allegheny County police referred questions to the Emergency Services Department, which did not return several messages seeking comment.
Larry Frankel, the Pennsylvania legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said such checks can create a climate of fear that runs counter to the spirit of helping people whose lives have been uprooted by forces beyond their control.
He said there are serious questions whether the checks are being done in a consistent way, because Katrina victims who drive into the state, or who don't seek shelter from the government, may not be subject to them.
People should have a way to challenge government records for inaccuracies, Frankel said, adding that he worried the checks could be the first step toward refusing relief services to people with criminal histories.
"What I guess I'm uncomfortable with is the kind of ad hoc nature, that all of a sudden we're doing this," he said. A more reasonable approach, he said, would be to conduct hearings and allow people to weigh in before adopting a background-check policy.
The state Emergency Management Agency's executive director, Adrian R. King Jr., said state government was preparing to conduct the checks when Pennsylvania was in line to receive thousands of refugees, pursuant to a law requiring background checks for public-housing residents. But as it became apparent in recent days that such numbers would not materialize, the state decided to let local police agencies determine how the checks should be done.
Johnson said Philadelphia police are taking at their word the identities of benefits seekers who do not have driver's licenses or similar identification. Later, he said, the city may check with officials in the Gulf Coast to verify that the people receiving help were residents of areas affected by the storm.