Portland rejoins federal terrorism task force
Following a failed terrorist attack on Thanksgiving of last year, Portland, Oregon has opted to rejoin a federal task force aimed at combatting terrorism; in 2005 Portland became the first city in the United States to stop participating in the Joint Terrorism Task Force; but Portland has chosen to rejoin the task force after it was largely left in the dark during an FBI sting operation; the resolution instructs local police officers to err on the side of Oregon laws if they are more “restrictive” than federal laws when it comes to investigations; Portland officers will also be able to participate in regular counterterror briefings with federal and state law enforcement agencies
Portland rejoins JTTF after foiled bombing plan // Source: thedailybeast.com
Following a failed terrorist attack on Thanksgiving of last year, Portland, Oregon has opted to rejoin a federal task force aimed at combatting terrorism.
In 2005 Portland became the first city in the United States to stop participating in the Joint Terrorism Task Force operated by the Department of Justice. But Portland has chosen to rejoin the task force after it was largely left in the dark during an FBI sting operation to stop an attempted terror plot.
Last Thanksgiving Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-born teenager, was arrested while trying to detonate a car bomb at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
Federal authorities had been investigating the case for months, but only consulted Portland police in the final stages to coordinate logistics. Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland, was unaware of the investigation until after the arrest had been made.
Reflecting back on the attempted attack, Michael Reese, the Portland police chief, said, “It showed the challenges we face and the fact that the 2005 resolution, while well intentioned, wasn’t meeting the needs of collaboration between local and federal law enforcement.”
He added, “You’re going to be an afterthought, like we were in that investigation.”
To increase information sharing and coordination, members of the Portland City Council have been hard at work for several months drafting a resolution that is described by one member as a “very Portland” compromise.
The preamble of the agreement, which was approved last week, read, “Be it resolved, that it is the policy of the city simultaneously to help prevent and investigate acts of terrorism, protect civil rights and civil liberties under United States and Oregon Law, and promote Portland as an open and inclusive community.”
The resolution instructs local police officers to err on the side of Oregon laws if they are more “restrictive” than federal laws when it comes to investigations.
Oregon strictly prohibits law enforcement agencies from collecting information about a person’s political, religious, or social views “unless such information directly relates to an investigation of criminal activities, and there are reasonable grounds to suspect the subject of the information is or may be involved in criminal conduct.”
According to Police Chief Reese, Portland officers will now be able to participate in regular briefings with the FBI, state police, county sheriffs, port authority officials, and other agencies involved in counterterror efforts.
The agreement was passed by the city council unanimously, but some residents were still upset.
During the agreement’s debate, a small group of protestors chanted “How do you spell oppression? J.T.T.F!” and “How do you spell police state? J.T.T.F!” outside City Hall.
In 2004, Mayfield was the subject of a botched terrorism investigation led by the FBI. Federal agents arrested him after they mistakenly matched his fingerprints to those found on a plastic bag containing detonator caps found after the Madrid terrorist bombings in 2004.
Despite his experience, Mayfield was amenable to the city council’s decision and understood their justification for passing the resolution.
“They don’t want to be deemed as being soft on security, but at the same time they are putting in all these precautions,” he said. “It shows they are listening to the citizens of this city.”
