Welcome to the Gainesville District

On April 29, 2008 the Board of County Supervisors adopted a resolution to modify its previous policy and directive to the Prince William County Police Department regarding checking immigration status. This modification of the July 10, 2007 Rule of Law Resolution was a positive step for the Board and all PWC citizen taxpayers.

The Board’s April 29 Resolution is intended to put County on firmer ground in several respects. The County police officers are now required to check immigration status of every person arrested, rather than having the individual officer determining probable cause for checking immigration status. Police officers will retain their professional discretion to inquire into the citizenship status of an individual prior to arrest, in accordance with the U.S. Constitution and federal and state law.

We are awaiting the development of the new policies of the police department following the new directive from the Board of Supervisors. The Board expects that the new policy will enhance our ability to protect individual officers against claims of racial profiling, but will keep and enhance the focus of law enforcement resources on reliably identifying all illegal immigrants who are arrested. The changes to the resolution likely reduce the possibility of litigation. By reducing litigation costs, we have reduced the tax burden.

The April 29th action of the Board was the right thing to do. The Board and County staff will continue to work for the best interests of the community.

The status of this issue will be updated as new information becomes available.