Portland, Oregon Pulls Out of Anti-Terrorism Task Force

Oregonian ^ | 4/22/2005 | Oregonian Staff

[ex-Texan]

City Pulls Out of Anti-Terrorism Task Force

The city of Portland is pulling its police officers from an FBI-led anti-terrorism team, after federal law enforcement leaders said they couldn't go along with a suggested compromise that would have given the mayor more oversight over the kinds of cases Portland officers investigate.

The two Portland officers assigned to the task force will keep their top-secret clearance, but they will no longer report directly to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Mayor Tom Potter said today.

Robert Jordan, the FBI's special agent in charge for Oregon, said that as far as he knows, Portland will be the first city in the nation to withdraw its officers from a Joint Terrorism Task Force. The task forces are FBI partnerships with local police forces that exist across the country.

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 today.

Potter and Portland city commissioners had threatened to pull out of the task force if federal leaders didn't grant them more oversight.

Potter delayed a vote late last month on a resolution that would have forced Portland to quit the team if the FBI didn't grant him the same security clearance as the officers involved.

He said that without more oversight, he couldn't guarantee that Portland officers would obey Oregon laws that bar police from investigating people strictly because of their political or religious ties.

Seeking a compromise, Potter met several times with federal representatives, including U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut and Jordan.

Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union sat in on at least one meeting. Everyone involved said the talks were going well but would not discuss specifics.

Last month, federal officials offered Potter more briefings and said they were willing to at least talk about two ideas: lowering the clearance level of the Portland officers from top secret to secret - the level Potter and Police Chief Derrick Foxworth can receive - and placing the mayor on the committee that oversees the local task force.

[ex-Texan]

Portland is the only major U.S. city to rebuke the FBI. One city out of 100. A blue city to boot. My prediction: In six months perhaps Portland will regret this decison when it becomes ground zero for a terrorist attack. 'Nuff said.

[cardinal4]

Jordan conceded he and Potter had failed to overcome their differences over giving higher security clearance to the mayor.

Good. I dont like the idea of a liberal, leftist mayor of a liberal, leftist city having a security clearance, anyway. It is amazing that he puts his own status above those of the city that elected him..

[kcvl]

Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union sat in on at least one meeting.

Why of course, what would LIBERALS do without their ACLU?!

[SF Republican]

Good. I dont like the idea of a liberal, leftist mayor of a liberal, leftist city having a security clearance, anyway. It is amazing that he puts his own status above those of the city that elected him.. I thought I read that he wanted the same clearance as the officers serving below him? Do you really feel a duly elected official should not be allowed to have a security clearance to help him protect his citizens?

[Cicero]

Portland is certainly a possible target. There seems to be a continuing terrorist interest in Seattle, perhaps as an entry point from Canada, and Portland isn't that far away. Both cities are congenial to terrorists, I would say.

[mainepatsfan]

If they get hit this same mayor will turn around and blame the feds for not protecting his city.

[cardinal4]

Do you really feel a duly elected official should not be allowed to have a security clearance to help him protect his citizens?

Dont twist my post-this type of elected official who puts politics above protection cant be trusted.

[SoDak]

There's probably a very good reason from his past why they would refuse that clearance. Just because he got himself elected mayor does not make it worthwhile to give this sort of clearance to known risks.

[kimoajax]

Little surprise here.

Potter, or, for that matter, anyone, only holds public office in Multnomah County where Portland sits with the clearance of its strong, organized and pervasive gay activist community.

Like flees jumping off a dead rat, businesses and families are jumping out of Portland and moving across the Columbia river to Clark County, the fastest growing county in Washington State for several years running, because the libs running Portland and Multnomah county have gone stark raving berserk with their social and tax policies.

If someone could get an initiative measure on Oregon's
ballot to get the rest of the state to secede, it would overwhelmingly pass...except amongst another conclave of libs surrounding the U of O.

[Robert_Paulson2]

the patriot act and fbi are abusing their police powers to supercede local governments, is the implication here.

seeing how the feds are inappreciative of the minutemen, and stopping illegal immigration, one has to wonder if they might be suffering from a lack of proper priorties.

maybe something is going on that our elected officials SHOULD know something about.

[k2blader]

Hm, I'll be in Portland this September. Wonder what that'll be like..

[SF Republican]

Dont twist my post-this type of elected official who puts politics above protection cant be trusted. I guess we look at the same event just the opposite, I see it that he wants to know what is going on and as the top elected official I feel he should. I do not want to twist your post but I assume you feel he should be left out of the loop of what is going on between his subordinates and the FBI

[doug from upland]

This is as stupid as an anti-gun person putting this sign in the front yard: We don't believe in guns in this house.

[Alas Babylon!]

On many occasions I have held a higher security clearance than those above me, including many (heck, most) politicians. There is no "right" to be cleared. It comes down to the need to know. To do one's job, for example.

Why does this mayor have to review the data to ensure his officers follow Oregon and Portland laws? Can't the officers be trusted to do so? They could refuse the FBI if and when they were told to do anything breaking the local laws. It sounds to me like the mayor is more worried about some Islamics being scrutinized for possible terrorist ties (yeah, like that could happen) than protecting the rest of the city's citizens.

[cardinal4]

This is an ongoing story, Vera Katz was mayor before this guy. Neither one of them wanted to be on the task force based on the Patriot Act. But now he is saying he wants access to the secrets his subordinates have. In some cases that might happen, i.e, the CIA director sees most of the info coming in, but not all. What he doesnt know he cant tell. The left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing and all of that. Im not against elected officials having clearances, but certain politicians just plain cant be trusted. Remember Hillarys FBI files?

[daku]

"He said that without more oversight, he couldn't guarantee that Portland officers would obey Oregon laws that bar police from investigating people strictly because of their political or religious ties."


so say a America hating muslim cleric is off limits ...

mmm ... okay

fricken' hippy

[ex-Texan]

Douglas J. Hagmann, Director of the Northeast Intelligence Network, was a guest on Coast2Coast last night. He talked about suitcase nukes and dirty bombs rapped with highly radioactive waste captured by the U.S. government's top secret anti-terror operatives. He also talked about the possiblity of a "secret government" running covert operations to wake up the American people (shades of Pearl Harbor?).

I don't buy Hagmann's ideas about a conspiracy or his recent change of attitude in his opinions. But if Hagmann is even partly correct, either alternative may become operative now, in today's world (which is more dangerous than the Cold War."

Portland may become ground zero for whatever is going on pretty soon.

[Leatherneck_MT]

I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with the mayor at the same time.

The Police officers work for him and the city of Portland, he needs to have access to the same information his police officers do.

but at the same time I can't agree giving a lefty access to sensitive information. He's liable to have it posted on the 6:00 news for some obscure political purpose.

Then again, I also have to agree with him that the Police shouldn't be investigating people merely because they happen to be part of some particular religion.

then again...

etc.. etc.. etc..

[cherry]

I don't think any politically connected official at that level should be given top clearance....

people nowadays don't vote for integrity or patriotism or morality.....so, just anybody can get elected......

an election can not make someone who lacks character , have character....

[Unam Sanctam]

he couldn't guarantee that Portland officers would obey Oregon laws that bar police from investigating people strictly because of their political or religious ties

I seem to recall that under Clinton, the FBI kept records on the Catholic Church and various pro-life groups.