Portland debates its partnership with FBI

[rainbow4321]

http://statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050221/STATE/502210332/1042

Three years ago, the city of Portland refused to help the FBI question Middle Easterners in the agency's hunt for potential terrorists. City leaders cited Oregon law, which requires police to show that a person is suspected of a crime before any questioning.

Now, the predominantly liberal city finds itself once again faced with deciding whether to part ways with the FBI regarding how far officers can go when searching for terrorists as part of the federal bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

But the main issue facing recently elected Mayor Tom Potter and city commissioners is not criticism of the FBI; it is oversight of the Portland Police Bureau officers assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a partnership with local law enforcement the FBI has set up in at least 100 cities across the nation, including Portland.

City Commissioner Randy Leonard, a former firefighter, noted that the two police officers assigned to the task force have a higher security clearance than the mayor or police Chief Derrick Foxworth, meaning that neither the mayor nor the chief can ask the officers about what they're investigating.

[me b zola]

1. Dear God.

The Portland PD has been none too shy about abusing their power in the past, I can't imagine without any oversight.

So how many of the other 99 cities have this troubling little problem of the joint task force without local oversight?

I am deeply troubled by this.

[rainbow4321]

3. "Two police officers.... have a higher security clearance"

This part could get scary..so there will be local cops who can do as they please under the guise of their "security clearance" in shrub's faux war on terror, and if you or your loved ones turn to other local officials for help all they will get is "sorry, we don't have access to what those particular cops are doing and have no idea why your family member/friend was plucked off the street/out of their house"???? Is it just me or could this get ugly right under our noses on a local level <i.e local story/blurb..no nat'l coverage>? This article alone was found buried on the Feb 21st online section of the Portland paper...

[DBoon]

2. I've been saying this on DU for months now

Requiring a federal security clearance for local police to work on "anti-terrorism" stuf is just a back door way to federalize our local police. You local cops will no longer be accountable to the local citizens. You have no idea what the police are up to, or what information is being passed to the feds.


This is one step towards a national police state.

[Richard Steele]

7. EXACTLY!

Those two cops are currently "above the law"...
They don't have to answer to the chief of police or the mayor;

They could (not kidding) shoot people in the street and tell the rest of the Police Department that they have no 'Clearance' to investigate the shootings!
News reporters trying to MENTION the story would need 'clearance' from Washington.

Nazification of the USA.
Ordinary cops are suddenly declared to be G*DS, and no one can even QUESTION their actions without written permission straight from the White House.

Can't happen here?

It already DID.

On EDIT:
Who was it who said, (speaking of NAZI Germany), that:

"It wasnt't the NAZIs who came for me.
It was my NEIGBORS:
the local butcher,
and the postman,
and a few other drab civil servants;
Ordinary people who were given 'legal' permission to act upon their darkest impulses,
empowered by a dictatorial Writ and a few dime-store badges."

[oneold1-4u]

4. A police state?

So many millions will say: "It's still OK because if you are nice, it won't effect you."
Bring back that song: "When will they ever learn!" and also "Where have all the flowers gone". They both should put "White Christmas" way behind!

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. There is a simple, but likely impossible solution to FBI dominance

.
.
.

People should just start evacuating en masse as soon as they are aware of the Police involvement with the likes of the FBI

I TOLD YA IT IS IMPOSSIBLE - People would never leave in such numbers for ANY reason from it's the only place that they can make a living, to 'cuz their pet poopseedoo is buried in the back yard . .

Activist watch groups could set up a monitoring and information system to make inhabitants aware of the infiltration -

I mean were talking 100 cities?

There's tens of thousands more cities in the US, and I'm sure, just looking at the odds, that there's another city out there suitable for each and every one, in all of those infiltrated cities

Whadda the feds gonna do when there's noone to watch in that city?

Oh yeah

I furgot

There's always the coffee and donuts . . . :eyes:

[Jack_DeLeon]

6. Cooperation between State/Local Police and the Feds should always be...

optional.

If the feds want to do something that the States dont agree with why should the states help the feds do thier dirty work.

[struggle4progress]

8. kick

[MountainLaurel]

9. How does this fit in

With Sensenbrenner's immigration legislation that basically gives Homeland Security veto power over and state or local LE activities?