OREGON P.D. BLUES

by TJ Johnston

For all the brouhaha over racial and ethnic profiling since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an unlikely coalition resolved against such draconian measures emerged: city cops in Oregon. When federal law enforcement agents question Middle Easterners about what they might (or might not) know, the local men in blue won’t be in the interrogation room with them.

Last month, police chiefs in such communities as Corvallis, Portland, and Eugene were asked by the US Attorney’s office to assist their federal counterparts in assisting some 200 Middle Easterners—specifically those on "nonimmigrant status visas". These potential interviewees weren’t known to be criminal suspects or linked to terrorists. The townie cops were provided a list of the not-yet-suspects and a pre-written questionnaire.

But before the feds could grill the immigrants like falafel, the local bosses let out a collective, "Hold on, partner!"

Corvallis Chief Pam Roskowski consulted with the city attorney on how far they could actually go in pursuing leads. She concluded that while it’s possible to interview them within the scope of state law, "the questions were so borderline…it’s easy for investigators to cross that line. It amounts to political and religious intelligence gathering."

Roskowski’s assessment is backed up by Oregon’s anti-McCarthyism and immigrants’ rights laws. Apparently, local constabulary in other towns decided against contravening these laws. Do their mindfulness of the people’s rights and liberties make the local PD’s any less patriotic?

"We’re unwavering in our resolve to bring to justice the people responsible for the attacks," maintains Roskowski, As the FBI establishes a regional joint terrorism task force, she has pledged to help the G-men in "pursuing identified criminal leads" (as opposed, I guess, to DWA road stops). This is where she feels local manpower could be best served.

Would other cities follow the lead of these townships? Though some local police departments are exercising some restraint, the feds (assisted by Oregon’s attorney general) continue to play "bad cop".

I’m trying to see how this would play on NYPD Blue. Detective Sipowitz castigates an FBI agent on procedure: "If you bust this guy’s balls without just cause, I’m baring my ass again! Don’t think I haven’t done this before. Why do you think our cast has so much turnover?"

Not a pretty sight. The all-too-real picture for 10,000 Arab, Arab American, or Arabic-looking detainees nationwide is less pretty. Without the consideration Roskowski and other chiefs demonstrated, the picture for future "guests" could be downright ugly.