Paul Dobson, Phoenix Cop Who Opposes Arizona Immigration Law, Is Now Under Investigation

An Arizona police officer who spoke out against the state's new draconian immigration law is under investigation related to his statement, Officer Paul Dobson told the Huffington Post.

"I've been admonished not to talk about the investigation, so I can't talk about the investigation. They made it clear that it's related to the interview," he said. "That's public."

Officer Dobson responded to a request by the Brave New Films Foundation for officers to speak out against the law, SB 1070.

Dobson said that his fellow officers have treated him with respect and that he is working while the investigation is ongoing, but subtle pressures are being applied. "My colleagues, face to face, are being very gracious. The majority of them disagree with me, but they've surprised me in how gracious they've been," he said. "Behind my back, it's a different story. A lot of hurtful things have been said."

Dobson spoke bluntly about the law. "I have a great deal of contempt for it. I'm very emotional about it," he said in the video. "This law will make me feel like a Nazi out there."

Here is the video:

Comments

[bccmeteorites]

06:39 AM on 07/27/2010

People keep equating this new Arizona law with Nazism. That is just absoultely ridiculous and insulting to the Jewish community.

[vulpecula762mm]

11:00 AM on 07/27/2010

The behavior of the authorities in "Israel" should be insulting to Jews...

In fact it is. The Hasidim in Brooklyn at least... all be it for twisted reasons.

So.... whats your point?

This is how its starts

[Ben-jammin]

01:59 AM on 07/30/2010

His point is that comparing this law to Nazism minimizes the attrocities inflicted by Nazi Germany. Why? Because the two have absolutely nothing in common. The Nazis murdered millions of people because of intolerence and hate. SB1070 is a call to enforce pre-existing law and deport people who are in this country illegally. It is not instigated by hate an intolerence of race, it's instigated by economics, public safety, and a desire to keep order in this country in regards to attaining citizenship.

The two don't even register close to each other on the moral scale, and to say otherwise speaks to ignorance of either the holocaust or what SB1070 attempts to do and how laws are supposed to be enforced.

[Dee321]

07:44 PM on 07/25/2010

The bill sb1070 was written by Kris Kobach. Kris Kobach is a lawyer from FAIR. FAIR was founded by White Supremist John Tanton. John Tanton also founded Numbers USA and CIS. FAIR is their legal arm. NumberUSA is their grassroots arm. CIS is their reporting arm. The ADL and SPLC have designated these groups as Hate Groups.

The reason the Tanton Network wrote the bill is so that it will be cloned in other states. Five other states have already cloned the bill.

Their motive: To Mass Deport all "illegal immigrants and their children" out of this country. Their term "Attrition through Enforcement."

Their Method: To instill fear in White America. It doesn't matter if what they say is true or not. Their method is the old "If you tell a lie often enough it becomes the truth."

[RockyMissouri]

12:15 PM on 07/28/2010

Instill fear is what Fox has been doing for years--they just REALLY hit their stride when we elected Barack Obama----that put them in full hate mode----SHAMEFUL to allow racists to have a say in anything..

[Ben-jammin]

02:14 AM on 07/30/2010

Fox is doing to Barack Obama what other news agencies did to George Bush. Propogate their own political agendy in the guise of "news".

In any case, resorting to name calling is what happens when someone cannot support their argument with facts. But, if one wants to throw the race card in this deck, does it not seem "racist" to oppose a law simply because a statistically larger number of one race comprises the offending party?

[Dee321]

07:35 PM on 07/25/2010

Officer Dobson, you are a hero. You are so brave to stand up against such adversity for your beliefs.

Anyone who has read sb1070 knows you are absolutely correct.

1. Racial Profiling: Anyone who has seen the tactics of sheriff arpaio and his masked volunteers knows the amount of racial profiling that goes on in his suppression sweeps of latino neighborhoods. Suppression Sweeps = Lawful Stops.
2. Criminalizing Friends and Family: So many people say sb1070 is not different than current federal law. Anyone who says that has NOT read the bill. The bill says anyone who gives a ride or has anyone in their house to someone considered an "illegal alien" is charged with a class 3 misdemeanor, fined $1000, and may have their car confiscated. This demonization is nowhere in Federal Law and will force everyone to become a border agent for fear of being charged or having their car confiscated.
3. sb1070 encourages everyone to call the police if they suspect they see illegal immigrants. And if the police don't come, they can be sued. Imagine those who currently are xenophobic. Anytime they see latinos in a Home Depot warrants a call to police. If they don't come, the police can be sued. What happens to the police resources? They will be running to malls and home depots in every city for every call instead of chasing real criminals.

[RockyMissouri]

12:16 PM on 07/28/2010

Fanned....Thank you.

[ABraut]

02:02 PM on 07/25/2010

I wonder where Dobson got his information. This would be a terrible law, if anything he said was true. His complaints are based on credibility straining exaggeration/speculation of the law before it was amended. Now that it's been amended There's not a grain of truth left to blow out of proportion.

[Chief74]

01:21 PM on 07/25/2010

I love the "Oh No, now we have to show our papers!" crowd.
This new law does not require any other "papers" to be carried by people in the state.

The police officers have this fancy thing called a "computer" which gives them access to citizenship information. This information is already made available to local law enforcement under EXISTING FEDERAL LAW.

I have to show ID when I buy alcohol, use my credit card, fly, pick up my child from daycare, or any other number of reasons. Why shouldn't I have to show my ID when I am LAWFULLY stopped, detained, or arrested by the police?

[bccmeteorites]

06:22 AM on 07/27/2010

Why shouldn't I have to show my ID when I am LAWFULLY stopped, detained, or arrested by the police?

Because you could be an illegal immigrant here to commit crimes and the people who want you to commit crimes don't want police to discriminate against you.

[Ben-jammin]

02:24 AM on 07/30/2010

I wonder if there would be such an uproar if the law made no mention of "reasonable suspicion" and simply said that the identification of EVERYONE who was arrested must be verified (either by showing ID, or using a computer, etc.), and that those, through this process of verification, who were found to be here illegal would be dealt with accordingly.

They couldn't cry "race" because such a law would apply to everyone equally without the police office needing to find reasonable suspicion. Without calling those who see no constitutional problems with this law "racists", they have no rational arguments. And no, telling sob stories to appeal to emotion is not considered a rational argument.

[randyjet]

12:02 PM on 07/25/2010

This cop obviously does NOT believe in either following the laws or enforcing them, thus he needs to be fired. As a pubic servant, he does NOT have the right to make his views known in uniform or identifying himself as a police officer. It is like Gen. McCrystal making his views public about his superiors and policies. In BOTH cases, they need to be fired.

[jde]

09:11 AM on 07/25/2010

The is bill was largely written by white supremacists. It's legal defense fund is largely funded by white supremacists. This bill is supported by white supremacists. Therefore, it is a White Supremacists Law.

All those in favor of this law, know whose lead you are following. Know the company you keep. There is no separation.

This law is a white robe.

[buckeyedave]

09:16 AM on 07/25/2010

Of course, on cue here comes the race card.

[arusticat]

09:51 AM on 07/25/2010

Ok, how's it going to feel to be Hispanic in Arizona? Oops, late to work again, had to run home and get my papers when the cop wanted to see them. It won't happen to me - I am white. But, if time is money, then it is going to cost to be brown in AZ.

[Ajita]

11:13 AM on 07/25/2010

The race card is being played by the Arizona lawmakers. Race is at the core of the debate here.

[Feisty1960]

10:17 AM on 07/25/2010

"The is bill was largely written by white supremacists. It's legal defense fund is largely funded by white supremacists. This bill is supported by white supremacists. Therefore, it is a White Supremacists Law."

Yeah, anyone that wants the law to be enforced is a "white supremacist". What ignorance.

[Ajita]

11:12 AM on 07/25/2010

Straw man fallacy. Jde is not saying that "anyone that wants the law to be enforced is a "white supremacist"", but that this particular law is. There have been many White Supremacist laws in this country's history, and this is one of them.

[JHancock]

03:46 PM on 07/25/2010

Yes you are ignorant, but that tends to be the case with all racists. States have no jurisdiction on immigration. That is a federal issue and always has been. The law is against the Constitution. This law is just to keep the dark skinned folks in their place. Spread fear and lock up as many as they can.

[buckeyedave]

09:11 AM on 07/25/2010

We still have some freedoms in this country, and you Officer Dobson have the right to quit your job if you are opposed to it. Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.

[yemaya]

10:13 AM on 07/25/2010

He also has the right to oppose it and keep his job too, so there goes that.

[jweider]

10:33 AM on 07/25/2010

Try telling your boss that you are not going to do the job you are being paid to do. Let's see how far that gets you.

[escapepa]

10:29 AM on 07/25/2010

He also has the right to freedom of speech under the Constitution.

[dinm76]

08:55 AM on 07/25/2010

If this law goes into effect AZ with be known as the birthplace of American "Fascism".

[buckeyedave]

09:15 AM on 07/25/2010

How does enforcing current immigration laws translate to "Fascism", oh enlightened one?

[yemaya]

10:14 AM on 07/25/2010

it's a discrimination issue.

[monicaevolving]

10:40 AM on 07/25/2010

Fascists seek to organize a nation based on corporate needs. Business needs cheap labor and they want illegal immigrants here so that they can force down wages for everyone. This new immigration law is not going to stop the flood of illegal immigrants because corporations don't want that to happen. On the other hand, corporations do want to strip ordinary citizens of their rights. The new Arizona law does just that because it broadens the meaning of reasonable suspicion to include racial profiling. Businesses know that racist or fearful people will gladly support the Arizona immigration bill as long as these people think the government is only taking rights away from a group that they are prejudiced against.

If government really wanted to curb illegal immigration, they would enforce laws that stop corporations from hiring illegal immigrants.

[JHancock]

09:29 AM on 07/25/2010

"Birthplace"? That implies that it hasn't existed for decades. The Republican party is the birthplace of rightwing, nationalist, hate-filled, racist, fascism. Arizona is just stepping up the hate. Gotta build more concentration camps, I mean "immigrant detention centers".

[Feisty1960]

07:02 PM on 07/27/2010

"The Republican party is the birthplace of rightwing, nationalist, hate-filled, racist, fascism. "

The Democrat party is the birthplace of left wing, lying, hate-filled, welfare loving socialism.

[reelynyceguy]

08:48 AM on 07/25/2010

I'm sorry that doing your job and upholding the law makes you feel like a Nazi. Maybe you should take up knitting instead.

[Fred Lehn]

09:14 AM on 07/25/2010

reelynyceguy

The fascists would love you. Maybe you should take up thinking.

[JHancock]

09:30 AM on 07/25/2010

Most likely wearing his white hood when he typed it.

[JustMyWords]

10:19 AM on 07/25/2010

Because heaven forbid that someone who will be directly involved with the enforcement of an unjust law speak out about the problems he sees with it.

[cybersense]

08:30 AM on 07/25/2010

I too want to support and keep our people in Arizona, but not in this political way - and not at these costs. There are actual people who live on the border, and work there that have real solutions to help with this issue, but Brewer didn't want to hear them. Brewer has a history of wasting money on this issue. Brewer, as senator, spent tons of money on investigations of illegal registration and voting in Arizona, and even when the investigation showed that this was not happening as she claimed, she still wasn't satifisfied, and wanted a which hunt. Spent plenty of tax payer money on it too. Here is the problem: if this law became into effect, the financial and other very important resources will be heavily burdened because of this law. Arizona is already broke, and by making this a law that the federal department will have to fund, she is essentially wanting to force more federal funding for Arizona. That's her goal, along with political reasons. Those solutions in helping control illegal immigration for Arizona are already there - but she isn't doing a thing about those solutions. Not to mention what this law will effect everyone else. Talk about turning a state into a "police state". This is one example of what we shouldn't do.

[Rickfors]

11:52 AM on 07/25/2010

..."Arizona is already broke'...,

........................................................*****......................................................................


Arizona is broke like other States. Bush and Cheney sold_the U.S. taxpayers_a-lie
based on a BOGUS_WAR_..
Bush, Cheney and the MAJORITY of Republicans looted the U.S. Treasury and
bankrupted our Country to the point where the Federal ,State, County and City
departments have no TAXPAYER money to rin their (OUR) budgets
and keep THE U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE RUNNING AND INTACT!

[yemaya]

06:33 AM on 07/26/2010

He is appealing to the emotions of the voters. works every time

[arusticat]

08:09 AM on 07/25/2010

If AZ implements this law, I hope they find a way to compensate any citizen who is ever inconvenienced by it. I am white so it won't be me - but maybe my co-worker will be late for work when, after a traffic stop, they spend hours proving that they are a citizen.

It really shouldn't cost to be brown in Arizona but I can see how Hispanic citizens are going to be uniquely inconvenienced by this law so, when a law officer gets it wrong, maybe a $500 inconvenience bonus should be paid out. If someone punches in late to work because they were subjected to a wild-goose chase, why should they be penalized?

[JustMyWords]

10:29 AM on 07/25/2010

Actually, I think even people like you will find yourself inconvenienced by it.

While your co-worker is being detained an extra 5 or 10 minutes to play "your papers, please" with a cop, you're doing your job and his, too. That cashier who isn't at the grocery store is going to lengthen your wait in line. Ever notice how much rush hour traffic slows down when there's a car pulled over on the side of the road? It won't be much fun adding time to your commute when 'routine' traffic stops take longer.

And next time you see a news story that includes a request for people to come forward with information about a crime, or says that police have been unable to locate a witness, take time to wonder whether there was a witness that's decided not to come forward because of fear of the consequences of talking to the police.

[Master Sensei]

11:30 AM on 07/25/2010

Everyone will be going through the same burden of proof, handing an officer their drivers license. If you don't have a valid drivers license or state ID, then that's when you will have to produce some other kind of valid ID, like a passport. If you are not in the country legally, you may have a problem producing a valid ID. There is nothing wrong with that. Just about every other civilized country in the world operates in the same fashion.

[raw6464]

06:36 AM on 07/25/2010

The "constitutional rights" concerning the application to the illegal immigrant situation is the price we pay for a free democracy.

I understand the frustration of the people in Arizona on illegal immigration but I also understand show stupid and wrong their new law is. It is as close to Nazism as we can get.

[normk]

07:28 AM on 07/25/2010

Ya...No...

[yemaya]

06:37 AM on 07/26/2010

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Thomas Jefferson

"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security." -Ben Franklin

[normk]

05:01 AM on 07/25/2010

“"the state's new draconian immigration law" ??? What in this law makes it Draconian?

[JustMyWords]

10:36 AM on 07/25/2010

Well, I'd say that any law that, among other things, removes all officer discretion and requires immediate detention for anyone who cannot provide proof of immigration status on request can reasonably be considered extreme.

And I'm also terribly amused by the irony of someone approving of a 'your papers, please' approach using an avatar that includes a hammer-and-sickle icon. Perhaps you're not aware that requiring citizens to carry state-approved identification papers and produce them on demand is one of the hallmarks of totalitarian regimes such as - you guessed it - the USSR?

[Savage Saint Roger]

04:36 AM on 07/25/2010

I applaud Officer Dobson's testament from the heart. We ask a lot from law enforcement.