Controversial Fingerprint Bylaw Pending Review by Attorney General

Foxborough police have not yet begun to practice the new ‘fingerprinting bylaw’ that was approved at the town meeting in mid- May, a decision that was back in the news this week as Brookline residents now debate the same issue.

The bylaw will allow police to fingerprint, for the purpose of background checks, people applying for business licenses in fields that would include door-to door salespeople, peddlers, pawn dealers, taxi drivers, and even the ice cream man.

Police Chief Edward O’Leary says that the bylaw is pending review by the Attorney General’s office.

O’Leary says that the review is “routine” for this type of bylaw, but the decision is controversial, with many residents saying this is “taking security a step too far.”

Foxborough resident Dennis Naughton is opposed to the measure, saying he believes such bylaws are “symptomatic of a climate of fear” in America since 9/11, and warns of “the real danger”, which he says lies “in the desensitizing of Americans to the erosion of their rights”.

As an example, Naughton cites a recent poll, which “showed that many Americans were amenable to suspending aspects of the Bill of Rights in the interests of national security.”

“People are beginning to see such foolishness as patriotic. It is a slippery slope from which, as history has shown, there is no return,” Naughton adds.

Angela F. F. Davis, Chair for the Foxborough Republican Town Committee, and also Chair for the "Women for Brown" Coalition for Senator Scott Brown, has a different take on the issue.

“I think the focus this summer should have been putting pressure on Governor Patrick to implement Secure Communities which is (an) initiative to provide a link between local and federal law enforcement officials for the purpose of sharing existing fingerprints and information,” says Davis.

“Presently Massachusetts does not participate in the plan, which would allow us to deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, flee arrest, or present a security threat,” says Davis.

“It makes more sense to share fingerprints and information of existing convicted felons through Secure Communities as a starting point, rather than chasing the milk man down the street,” Davis adds.

Chief O’Leary says that he is unsure when the Attorney General’s office will be finished with the review of Foxborough’s fingerprint bylaw.

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