Special Order

Over the last few weeks, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck twice has reaffirmed the department's commitment to Special Order 40, the 30-year-old policy that forbids officers from making routine inquiries about the immigration status of people they encounter or detain. The contexts and manner of Beck's affirmation suggest a couple of interesting -- and significant -- differences between the new chief's approach and that of his predecessor, William Bratton. Even after three decades, Special Order 40 remains the most controversial of LAPD's policing policies, as well as one of its most vital.

In the ever-divisive debate over the proper role of local police in enforcing federal immigration law, there is a recurrent theme, especially as it involves Los Angeles: Critics complain that this and other municipalities have become "sanctuary cities," in which those in the country illegally are shielded from immigration authorities. That complaint is widespread — it's a regular feature of letters to the editor of this newspaper, and it crops up in politics at all levels. Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman argued it during her failed effort against Jerry Brown.

Beware of local cops playing federal immigration officers. That's generally a lose-lose proposition, diminishing the ability of mistrusted police to fight crime in immigrant communities while subjecting Latinos, including American citizens, to a new type of ethnic profiling, a blanket "reasonable suspicion" for cops to stop foreign-looking individuals to ask to see their papers.

Scholten Family Farm Weybridge : Cheese Store of Silverlake (323) 644-7511, (special order); Andrew's Cheese in Santa Monica (310) 393-3308, (special order); Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills (310) 278-2855, http://www.cheesestorebh.com ; Wally's Wine and Spirits in Westwood (310) 474-1450, http://www.wallywine.com ; Cheese Cave in Claremont, (909) 625-7560 (special order). Nettle Meadow's Kunik : Cheese Store of Silverlake; Andrew's Cheese; Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills; Wally's Wine & Cheese (special order)

Re "No job for the LAPD," Opinion, May 6 Who does Charles L. Lindner think he is fooling? According to our Constitution, we are supposed to be protected from foreign invasion. I believe Special Order 40 violates our Constitution and our right to be protected from foreign invaders. As for Lindner's argument regarding taxing our judicial system if Special Order 40 were repealed, how much time and money would be saved if we stopped coddling illegal foreigners? Why should taxpayers continue to be burdened with the enormous cost of illegal immigration?

An appeals court Wednesday upheld the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40, a policy governing how officers interact with immigrants. The three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeal unanimously agreed with a lower court's decision to throw out a lawsuit, in which a Los Angeles man argued that the LAPD's policy violated federal and state laws. In place since 1979, Special Order 40 prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally.

The emotional heat of the immigration debate finally grew so intense that it opened up several alternate dimensions, where fact evaporates and folklore guides what passes for policy discussion. In one parallel Los Angeles, police officers see violent gang members whom they know to be illegal immigrants but can do nothing to stop them because of a politically correct edict known as Special Order 40.

When Jamiel Shaw Sr. stood up last week to call for a change in Special Order 40, it touched an already raw nerve in the black community. Shaw's son, 17-year-old star football player Jamiel Shaw II, was gunned down within shouting distance of his house. The suspect, 19-year-old Pedro Espinoza, is an alleged gang member and an illegal immigrant. Special Order 40 has prevented law enforcement from probing the immigration status of some suspects and deporting criminals with dispatch.

On the plaza of Dolores Mission Church, long a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, a Roman Catholic priest asked the question that has hovered in the minds of so many of the city's migrants since Charlie Beck was appointed Los Angeles police chief. Flanked by parishioners holding flickering votive candles in the cool evening air, Father Scott Santarosa asked Beck whether he could assure community members that they will not be asked about their immigration status if they report a crime. " Sí," Beck said, drawing laughs and applause from the crowd.

Scholten Family Farm Weybridge : Cheese Store of Silverlake (323) 644-7511, (special order); Andrew's Cheese in Santa Monica (310) 393-3308, (special order); Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills (310) 278-2855, http://www.cheesestorebh.com ; Wally's Wine and Spirits in Westwood (310) 474-1450, http://www.wallywine.com ; Cheese Cave in Claremont, (909) 625-7560 (special order). Nettle Meadow's Kunik : Cheese Store of Silverlake; Andrew's Cheese; Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills; Wally's Wine & Cheese (special order)

Where to buy winter cheeses The cheeses mentioned in this story can be found at the following locations. Notice, though, that these are artisanal products made in limited quantities; Vacherin Mont d'Or and Haut-Doubs are already sold out for the year. Call ahead to ensure availability. Försterkäse: Cheese Store of Silverlake (special order) (323) 644-7511, http://www.cheesestoresl.com ; C'est Cheese in Santa Barbara (805) 965-0318, http://www.

Over the last few weeks, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck twice has reaffirmed the department's commitment to Special Order 40, the 30-year-old policy that forbids officers from making routine inquiries about the immigration status of people they encounter or detain. The contexts and manner of Beck's affirmation suggest a couple of interesting -- and significant -- differences between the new chief's approach and that of his predecessor, William Bratton. Even after three decades, Special Order 40 remains the most controversial of LAPD's policing policies, as well as one of its most vital.

On the plaza of Dolores Mission Church, long a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, a Roman Catholic priest asked the question that has hovered in the minds of so many of the city's migrants since Charlie Beck was appointed Los Angeles police chief. Flanked by parishioners holding flickering votive candles in the cool evening air, Father Scott Santarosa asked Beck whether he could assure community members that they will not be asked about their immigration status if they report a crime. " Sí," Beck said, drawing laughs and applause from the crowd.

On March 12, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley off 9th and Alvarado streets in the Westlake District, just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. Then a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime came forward and told the homicide detectives from the Rampart station what he saw. Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding in skid row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets, and we are all a little bit safer.

An appeals court Wednesday upheld the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40, a policy governing how officers interact with immigrants. The three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeal unanimously agreed with a lower court's decision to throw out a lawsuit, in which a Los Angeles man argued that the LAPD's policy violated federal and state laws. In place since 1979, Special Order 40 prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally.

The story behind how "Dim Sum Funeral" director Anna Chi ended up becoming a filmmaker is, alone, the stuff of great screenplays. After all, how many successful, L.A.-based filmmakers can say that, in effect, Chairman Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party got them into the movie business? Chi can, and, though it was a long, often difficult journey, she still looks back at her early life as a child of China's Cultural Revolution with a mix of wonder and resignation.

In the ever-divisive debate over the proper role of local police in enforcing federal immigration law, there is a recurrent theme, especially as it involves Los Angeles: Critics complain that this and other municipalities have become "sanctuary cities," in which those in the country illegally are shielded from immigration authorities. That complaint is widespread — it's a regular feature of letters to the editor of this newspaper, and it crops up in politics at all levels. Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman argued it during her failed effort against Jerry Brown.

On March 12, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley off 9th and Alvarado streets in the Westlake District, just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. Then a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime came forward and told the homicide detectives from the Rampart station what he saw. Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding in skid row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets, and we are all a little bit safer.

Tanned, toned and looking as if he's aged little in the 16 years since he left office, former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates returned to City Hall on Monday to wade into a contentious debate over police enforcement and illegal immigrants. Gates helped craft Special Order 40, the 1979 measure that limits when officers can inquire about the immigration status of crime victims and suspects.

Is Los Angeles some kind of "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants? People on all sides of the debate like to think so. Those who want to protect the immigrants and their families use the term with a certain bravado, as if to stress that their city has adopted a firm and unique moral stance. Those who want the immigrants out use it too, but as an expression of derision for what they insist is the flouting of federal immigration law.