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LewWaters
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Joined: 18 May 2004
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Location: Washington State
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 Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:46 am Post subject: Mayor wants Portland (Oregon) out of anti-terror task force |
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If not for living so close to the Capital of the Looney Left, this wouldn't really disturb me. But, being less than 10 miles north, seeing Mayor Tom Potter throwing his tantrum because the FBI won't knuckle under to his whims scares me.
Does this leave the entire Pacific Northwest open to terrorists now? I really don't know, but this Mayor needs to be out of office, I feel.
(Article presented in full as KGW's site requires registration)
| Quote: | Mayor wants Portland out of anti-terror task force
04:33 PM PDT on Friday, April 22, 2005
By kgw.com and AP Staff
Mayor Tom Potter proposed that two Portland Police Bureau officers pull out of the anti-terror task force after he and the Federal Bureau of Investigation failed to resolve their disagreements about how much access city leaders should have to top-secret information.
Robert Jordan, the FBI's special agent in charge for Oregon, said as far as he knows Portland will be the first city in the nation to withdraw its officers from a Joint Terrorism Task Force -- FBI partnerships with local police forces that exist across the country.
Potter joined Foxworth, FBI Special Agent in Charge Bob Jordan and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kent Robinson at a City Hall news conference on Friday to announce the proposed resolution.
But Portland doesn’t plan to cut its ties completely with the JTTF.
The two officers who have been with the JTTF will be re-assigned to the Portland police’s criminal intelligence unit and will assist the FBI on a case-by-case basis.
And the Portland police chief will remain on a committee that is briefed on the work of the task force, he said.
“I am not severing our ties with our federal partners – only changing them,” Potter said on Friday, adding that he had received “personal assurances” from Jordan that the FBI would continue to work with police.
Jordan conceded he and Potter had failed to overcome their differences over giving higher security clearance to the mayor.
"Unfortunately, despite all of our best efforts, we are unable to find a solution that is mutually acceptable," Jordan said in letter to Potter that was released by city officials on Friday.
Two council members -- Randy Leonard and Erik Sten -- said they will support Potter's resolution, giving the mayor a majority. The resolution is expected to come for a vote next week.
City commissioners delayed a vote on March 31 to pull officers from the JTTF in order to continue talks with the FBI. The resolution was also backed overwhelmingly by members of the public who gave testimony that night.
A former police chief, Potter had argued the only way to maintain adequate civilian oversight of the city officers assigned to the task force was to raise his clearance to the same level given the officers.
Otherwise, he said, there was the potential they could overstep their authority under state law while acting for a federal agency.
The two police officers who have been part of the anti-terror task force will retain top secret clearances, but those clearances will only be used in emergencies. If a threat arose, the FBI plans to brief the mayor and police chief.
The city and the FBI said in the eight years police have been part of the JTTF, Portland officers never taken part in a top secret investigation. The resolution calls for the two officers to participate only in lower-tier, secret investigations that must comply with Oregon law. The law prohibits police from gathering information on people because of their political or religious beliefs.
The mayor and police chief will supervise the officers during secret-level probes.
Portland’s police chief will have secret clearance and be part of the executive group overseeing the JTTF. It will also be the chief’s responsibility to report to the mayor after executive group briefings. And the mayor will be allowed to apply for secret clearance.
In addition, Potter and the city won assurances from U.S. Attorney Karen Immergut and Jordan that the city will remain eligible for federal grants to fight terror, despite its new relationship with the JTTF.
Portland is not the only Oregon community on the FBI's local Joint Terrorism Task Force. Surrounding communities also have police officers on the team.
But in left-leaning Portland, many people have expressed mistrust of the FBI, especially after local attorney Brandon Mayfield was arrested last year on suspicion of involvement in the Madrid train bombings and the FBI later admitted it had made a mistake.
Jordan made a rare public apology on behalf of the FBI for the mistake, but Mayfield has sued the federal government.
The fact that Mayfield is a convert to Islam also raised criticism that the FBI and the Justice Department could use the task force to target individuals for their political or religious beliefs.
But Robinson, standing in for Immergut, said the task force is used only in criminal investigations.
"I want to say that clearly and emphatically," Robinson said.
He noted that the Patriot Act, despite "hotly disputed" interpretations of its reach, "has numerous provisions that explicitly state that those tools cannot be used for investigations purely for political or religious beliefs. That's just not happening."
Following his election last November, the mayor had a series of meetings with the FBI and the staff of U.S. Attorney Immergut to reach a compromise allowing the officers to remain with the task force. Some of the meetings included Dave Fidanque, Oregon director the American Civil Liberties Union, at Immergut's request.
"We've been very concerned about cities and counties essentially flying blind in terms of the responsibilities they have under state law and the state constitution," Fidanque said.
He pointed out that Immergut, who is the chief federal prosecutor in Oregon, cannot advise Portland police officers on how to apply Oregon law or the Oregon constitution.
Immergut and other U.S. attorneys representing the Justice Department in each state "can provide legal advice on federal law, but it's not the role of the federal government to make sure that local officials are complying with state and local laws," Fidanque said.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he was "pleased" that Portland and federal law enforcement agencies came to some understanding.
"We can better protect our residents when we all communicate and participate fully in the process to uncover and thwart those who would terrorize," Kulongoski said. "We still have that ability, and I am hopeful that the city, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney can continue discussions and work toward full participation and cooperation." |
KGW 8 News
I'm having a difficult time with a newly elected Mayor demanding a security clearance so he may receive sensitive information under the guise of ensuring two Police Officers don't overstep their legal bounds. 
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RogerRabbit
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:59 am Post subject: |
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This story is months old - I havn't a clue why KGW is putting it up now
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LewWaters
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Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:27 am Post subject: |
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I would imagine because just today Potter stated he was pulling his officers out of the JTTF. Apparently, it has been in negotiation for months, but the FBI won't grant him the clearance he demands, so Portland's Mayor has apparently decided time is up and he's pulling out.
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Beatrice1000
Resource Specialist
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 1179
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:58 am Post subject: Re: Mayor wants Portland (Oregon) out of anti-terror task fo |
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| LewWaters wrote: | .... It will also be the chief’s responsibility to report to the mayor after executive group briefings. And the mayor will be allowed to apply for secret clearance. ....
But in left-leaning Portland, many people have expressed mistrust of the FBI,..... criticism that the FBI and the Justice Department could use the task force to target individuals for their political or religious beliefs. ...
...the mayor had a series of meetings with the FBI and the staff of U.S. Attorney Immergut .... Some of the meetings included Dave Fidanque, Oregon director the American Civil Liberties Union, at Immergut's request. "We've been very concerned about cities and counties essentially flying blind in terms of the responsibilities they have under state law and the state constitution," Fidanque said. |
Looks like a mayor with an ego problem - wants secret clearance to all the workings of the FBI, geez. Mistrust of the FBI and the Patriot Act, and of course, advice from the concerned ACLU -- pulling officers out of the Task Force because Mr. Mayor can't be Topdog is messing with our national security. Petty tyrants should not be allowed to do this -- but it sounds like he is catering to his base if the people are not up in arms about it. Don't like it at all.
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Beatrice1000
Resource Specialist
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 1179
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 10:10 am Post subject: |
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I just had to look up some info on Potter to understand this irresponsible, rogue decision of his to make Portland “the first community in the country to quit the anti-terrorism effort” …. Now that I have, it all makes sense, sort of....:
(bits of data from 8/04 to 4/05 - excerpts/emphasis added)
From his BIO:
… He started a “Bias Crimes” unit to investigate crimes where prejudice played a part, and ended the bureau’s involvement in INS raids and deportation arrests aimed at Latinos. …..
When he became the first Chief to march in uniform in Portland’s Gay PRIDE Day parade, Tom’s resignation was demanded by the Oregon Citizen’s Alliance, and even some of his own officers. But Tom never wavered, and groups ranging from the Urban League of Portland to the Citizens Crime Commission rallied to his support.….
Community Service:
Portland Police Sunshine Division; Parents Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays; Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund Committee; Portland Citizens Crime Commission; Multnomah County Commission on Children and Families; Driver, Meals On Wheels - Loaves and Fishes (Global Visions, ACLU, Jefferson High School mentoring program, Friends of Trees).
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8/30/04 -- “Deaners For Potter” website…
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9/22/04 - “The Potter Files,” by Nick Budnick
Potter, who recently turned 64, projects an image of your kindly liberal grandpa--emphasis on liberal. A former board member of the ACLU, he has marched for gay rights and against the war in Iraq, and he vows to keep doing so if elected mayor. Potter did not become a Democrat until a year ago (before then, he was registered as an independent), but his limit on campaign contributions helped nab the endorsement of Howard Dean. ….
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3/30/05 – “Chief Wants City in FBI Force,” -- Free Republic
….In a memo sent to Mayor Tom Potter last month and made public by the mayor's office Tuesday, Foxworth warned Potter that pulling out of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force would make it extremely difficult for city police to prevent terrorism and respond to an attack in Oregon. … "Our membership in Portland's Joint Terrorism Task Force is our best opportunity to detect and prevent the next terror attack," the memo states. "Non-participation in the task force could have serious consequences." <…>
Portland City Council members are scheduled to vote tonight to demand that the mayor, the city attorney and Foxworth receive the same clearance as Portland officers serving on the task force. If the federal government refuses, the City Council is poised to make Portland the first community in the country to quit the anti-terrorism effort.
In his memo to Potter, Foxworth warned that terrorism is a real threat in Portland. He worried that Portland might miss out on federal grants if it abandons the task force. The memo was a response to the mayor's request for more information about the Police Bureau's work with the task force. "We have a population of extremists who engage in criminal behavior in our community," Foxworth and his staff wrote. "Non-support of the JTTF would cause long-term damage to our reputation and credibility within the law enforcement community. This will likely weaken our relationships with remaining law-enforcement partners and break down lines of communication."
Larry Mefford, who retired in late 2003 as the FBI's executive assistant director for counterterrorism and counterintelligence, says mayors -- even one with as much criminal-justice experience as Potter, a former Portland police chief -- don't need top-secret clearance to keep track of what their officers are doing. "He's a politician," said Mefford, who lives in Las Vegas. "Politicians come under totally different pressures than a chief of police."
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4/13/05 –Willamette Week Online, Q&A, by Zach Dundas
Tom Potter took over as Portland's mayor just over three months ago. And, boy-he really took over. In a city with a rare "weak mayor" government, where power is usually split among the mayor and four City Council members, Potter followed through on a key campaign promise: For his first few months, he'd run everything. …..
Q: Do heated, politicized issues-the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Mrs. Oregon flap-hurt your effort to reach out to other parts of the state?
A: You know, they probably do. I wouldn't deny that. I think, though, that I've got to be true to myself, and the commissioners do as well. My goal is to develop relationships to the point where people know where we're coming from.
Q: What's an issue the public isn't paying attention to right now that you anticipate spending a lot of time on in the next six months?
A: One of the same things I was thinking about when I left the Police Bureau. I know the Joint Terrorism Task Force is on everyone's mind right now. But beyond our ability to respond to a terror attack, there's a concern I think is even bigger. An earthquake on the scale of the one that caused the South Pacific tsunami would devastate Portland. …. And also, obviously, schools are so important. ….
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RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2005 1:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Beatrice1000 wrote: | | I just had to look up some info on Potter to understand this irresponsible, rogue decision of his to make Portland “the first community in the country to quit the anti-terrorism effort” …. Now that I have, it all makes sense, sort of....---------------------------- |
To make sense of it all you have to realize that it is Portland Oregon ----- a rats nest of liberalism
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