Denver will ask voters if citizenship requirement for police, firefighters should be dropped

The summer of 2020 brought riots to downtown Denver.Photo byColin LloydonUnsplash

The Denver City Council voted Monday to ask the voters whether the city should remove the requirement that police officers and firefighters be U.S. citizens.

If voters OK a ballot question in November, the jobs would be opened to permanent resident aliens and DACA recipients. Colorado recently changed state law to allow non-citizens to be POST-certified to carry a police weapon. California and Illinois also have allowed non-citizens to become police officers and firefighters.

According to Dolan Consulting Group, which provides training to law enforcement agencies nationwide, it’s time to let non-citizens do police and fire work. “If the U.S. military is able to attract tens of thousands of qualified, non-citizen applicants, the law enforcement profession should consider the possibility of doing so as well,” Dolan wrote in a blog post. “Military service requires risking one’s life, submitting to strict discipline and surrendering a number of basic personal freedoms such as choice of job, place of residence, ability to see one’s family and going home after an 8-hour workday—all for low pay. If tens of thousands of qualified non-citizens are willing to serve in the U.S. military under these conditions, how many more might be willing to serve in a law enforcement career with better pay, set shifts, a choice of where to live and the ability to see their families at the end of the workday?”

Immigrants have served as police before

Immigrants serving as cops is nothing new. In fact, immigrants played a major role in the history of policing. “Maintaining the peace in the overpopulated urban squalor of the early industrial revolution, while working alone with only a wooden club and a whistle to call for help, proved an unattractive job when compared to much higher-paying work opportunities in local factories,” according to the Dolan blog post. “The job was dangerous, and the pay was low. Recruiting was difficult and turnover was high—much as it is today. As a result, the majority of those individuals working as watchmen, constables, and ‘coppers’ in American cities in the 1800s were immigrants – primarily Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Greek and Ashkenazi Jews. This was the case from the period of the U.S. Civil War to World War I. Immigration to the U.S. soared during this era.”

In addition to the police and fire chiefs, the Denver Civil Service Commission supports dropping the citizenship requirement. “We support amending the charter to remove the citizenship requirement, making applicant qualification based on work eligibility, good moral character, ability to perform essential job functions, and compliance with other qualifications set by Commission rule,” the commission wrote in a letter of support. This amendment will enhance diversity, access a broader talent pool, and promote inclusive community engagement within law enforcement agencies.”

The Denver Latino Commission also supports the change. Members say it will bring about “diversity enhancement, broadening the candidate pool will create a police and fire force that better mirrors our community, fostering stronger relationships with residents,” according to a letter of support. “Community-oriented safety, a more representative force improves cultural understanding and responsiveness to diverse populations, aligning with community-oriented policing. Inclusive employment path, eliminating the citizenship requirement opens avenues for all residents to serve, reducing employment discrimination and fostering inclusivity. Recruitment and retention, addressing law enforcement challenges, this change improves recruitment and retention, enhancing overall law enforcement effectiveness.”

Not for new Venezuelan arrivals

Bill sponsors Jamie Torres and Amanda Sandoval, who serve as president and president pro tem of the council, stressed they are not bringing this forward with the intention of stocking the ranks with Venezuelan immigrants. They said Venezuelan immigrants only could become police officers or firefighters after meeting all the other requirements for the job. They also would need to establish residency as legal permanent residents. “We have this huge insurgence of newcomers, this is not for them,” Sandoval said. “It could be for them, but they would have to go through the same process as anybody else.” She said that includes being proficient in English.