Avon police give details on traffic stops, ICE arrests

AVON, Ind. - The Avon Police Department released new information about a traffic blitz that sources told FOX59/CBS4 involved the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).




The information matches the stations' initial reporting on the matter from July 23.




According to sources, ICE worked with Avon police to conduct several dozen traffic stops to detain illegal immigrants on July 22. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed it was part of the effort and assisted with federal warrants.




FOX59/CBS4 couldn't find any police reports from the Avon Police Department documenting the arrests.




FOX59/CBS4 reached out to the Avon Police Department seeking confirmation more than a week ago. While Police Chief Sean Stoops confirmed a "traffic blitz" took place, he framed it as an operation to crack down on traffic violations, registration violations and aggressive driving.




The email indicated that Avon police reached out to ICE for assistance.




Sources told FOX59/CBS4 that ICE reached out to Avon police first and also contacted other agencies, who declined to participate.




A social media post from Thursday confirmed the initial reporting, with Avon police saying ICE and the Department of Homeland Security contacted the department "earlier this year" to help identify people who gave false information to officers during traffic stops.




The post also provided information about the number of traffic stops and how many people were detained during the July 22 operation, which ran from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.




Avon police officers pulled over 52 vehicles and encountered 22 people who "were found to have either been unlicensed, produced fraudulent identifying information, or provided insufficient information that prevented officers from confirming their identity," according to the post.




Three of the individuals had outstanding warrants for charges in Indiana and Georgia.




ICE detained 18 individuals on federal immigration warrants from six different countries. They were not booked into the Hendricks County Jail, as federal agents had been responsible for detaining them.




You can find the department's statement in full here.




FOX59/CBS4 has requested body and dash camera video of those traffic stops.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/avon-police-give-details-on-traffic-stops-ice-arrests/