Posted on 12/10/2001 1:33:57 PM PST by SAMWolf
Portland police have rejected U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's request for help in questioning thousands of young Middle Eastern men because the interviews likely would violate state law, the bureau's acting police chief said Tuesday.
Andrew Kirkland, an assistant police chief who is in charge of the Portland Police Bureau while Chief Mark Kroeker is on vacation this week, said the bureau was immediately troubled by the request when it arrived late last week.
Ashcroft has announced a plan to interview 5,000 men on an FBI list as part of the nation's developing anti-terrorism efforts. But Kirkland said the federal government's multiple-page document on the plan and a list of 200 men in the Portland area contained "no specific information" about crimes for which they might be suspected.
"It was fairly general," Kirkland said, "and some of the things it asked of us we questioned if we could do them or if we wanted to do them."
Without giving details, Kirkland said he, Kroeker and city attorneys were concerned the request violated Oregon law prohibiting local police from questioning immigrants when there is no evidence they are connected to a crime and foreign citizenship is the only issue.
"You can't use personnel and equipment just to go out and randomly interview people solely on immigration," Kirkland said. Portland's is the only police department known to have refused to cooperate with Ashcroft's request for assistance in questioning people in an attempt to gather more information in the nation's intensifying terrorism investigation.
Because of the length of the national list, and Ashcroft's desire to complete the interviews within 30 days, the attorney general sees the help of local police departments as crucial.
Kirkland said he had heard that police departments in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Tucson, Ariz., were beginning to raise similar concerns.
Michael Mosman, the U.S. attorney for Oregon, said he wasn't concerned about the Police Bureau's decision and that other law enforcement agencies in the state "are more than willing to help." He added that he is confident the plan doesn't violate any state or federal laws.
Not all of the men on the list are from the Middle East and none is a suspected terrorist, Mosman said. "They're not people with a criminal history," he said. "As far as we know, every one of them is here lawfully and engaging in lawful lives... They didn't get on the list because of race or ethnicity."
When asked how they wound up on an anti-terrorism list, Mosman said they had come to the United States in the past two years on tourism, student and business visas from countries with terrorist links.
He said the effort was tantamount to a traffic officer arriving to the scene of a car wreck and attempting to interview everyone standing around. "We are interviewing a number of people nationwide just to get more information," he said.
Portland's decision, he said, was "a tempest in a teapot," especially since the bureau is actively involved with other efforts to fight terrorism.
Kirkland said he was personally concerned that a city with a growing immigrant population might view the interviews as racial profiling. But the decision, ultimately, was based on "troubles with (Ashcroft's) directive," he said.
Mayor Vera Katz had not seen the request, yet was aware of the bureau decision, calling it "a wise one." "I do have a concern when we're asked to do something that violates state law," she said.
Put out a list GD and we'll nail 'em with emails.............
This is becoming all to common. It is the job of the police to question people if they think a crime has been committed or if they think that person may have been a witness to a crime.
Not to many years ago it was simply called an investigation and you questioned anyone involved, or believed to be involved regardless of ethnicity. Something has gone terribly wrong here.
...these university towns & their peoples have some sobering times ahead for themselves.
One of the things that made the Madison School Board change its tune quickly re the pledge of allegiance, was the cancelling and threat of cancelling some big conventions in the city of Madison!
So the question does anyone outside of Portland, Or. ever schedule a big convention in Portland? Does anyone know of anyone who scheduled a big convention in Portland, Or.? Anyone out there care any more?
Please go to this link to read how the People Republic of University of Wisconsin, Madison will not question potential Islamic Terrorists. Claiming that any flag waiver or Christian is far more dangerous than a suicidal Islamic terrorists. UW/Madison Police will continue to serve tea and cigarettes to the Islamic terrorists, err students with zero questions!
UW/Madison will offer full ride scholarships on architectural structure and how to destroy it to any future Islamic Terrorists. They would love to welcome Johnny Jihad to Madison on a full ride scholarship!
Oh no! You can't question possile criminals about a crime. That would be criminal class profiling. Also this would be a violation of their first amendment and their right to jury nullification!
There will be no more criminal investigations as per our constitution, the ACLU and the left wingers lust for those who commit crimes! In fact there will be no more crimes! If there are no more crimes, everyone will be happy! :)
This is so sad but so true. I have a friend that is a policeman and he has to be very careful about who he stops or questions. 'Nuff said!!
Thank you Sam for the thread!!!!!!
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