Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.theprovince.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Douglas Quan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police) MOUNTIES NIX TRAINING AFTER CLAIMS OF PROFILING IN ARIZ. The RCMP have scrapped plans to send hundreds of officers to Arizona for training in recognizing and testing drug-impaired drivers after learning that the sheriff's office they had partnered with has been accused of engaging in "unconstitutional policing." A scathing U.S. Department of Justice report recently concluded that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Phoenix engages in racial profiling of Latinos, unlawfully stops and arrests Latinos and unlawfully retaliates against individuals who criticize the force. The seriousness of the allegations prompted the RCMP to cancel its training sessions, said Insp. Allan Lucier. Email to a friendEmail to a friendPrinter friendlyPrinter friendly Font: AddThis Social Bookmark Button "It was almost immediate after having read the report that this would not be a facility that we would associate ourselves with," he said. The Mounties had planned to train up to 200 RCMP, provincial and municipal police officers to detect and test drug-impaired drivers. The Maricopa sheriff's office - whose commander, Joe Arpaio, calls himself "America's toughest sheriff" and has received a lot of attention for his tough approach to illegal immigration - did not respond to repeated calls and emails Monday. David Eby, head of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, which notified the RCMP about the allegations against the sheriff's office, said the Mounties made the right call. He said police "should think twice" about sending officers south of the border for any type of training. In a Dec. 15 letter to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice said its investigation of the force uncovered a "chronic culture of disregard for basic legal and constitutional obligations." Among the department's allegations: ? Latino drivers are four to nine times more likely to be pulled over than non-Latino drivers; and ? Detention officers punish Latino inmates who don't follow commands given in English. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom