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http://www.koin.com/c6k/news/stories/news-109721420011129-131127.html
Corvallis Police Refuse To Question Foreign Visitors
Corvallis Joins Portland Police
Posted: 11:42 a.m. PST November 29, 2001 Updated: 12:42 p.m. PST
November 29, 2001
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland police are no longer alone in their
refusal to interview foreign visitors as part of a federal terrorism
probe.
Corvallis police joined their Portland counterparts Wednesday, and
the Eugene police might soon follow suit.
The City of Eugene was awaiting its lawyers' advice before making
a decision.
Until Wednesday, Portland had been the only city in the nation to
refuse a request by the U.S. Department of Justice to participate
in the interviews, citing state privacy laws. As many as 5,000
foreign visitors will be questioned nationwide, some 200 of them
in Oregon.
Corvallis Police Chief Pam Roskowski believes the city's officers
can legally participate in the federal probe, according to a
statement released Wednesday.
However, Roskowski believes the city will be better served if
officers concentrate on criminal investigations rather than in
interviewing people on the federal list who are not criminal
suspects, police spokesman Lt. Paul Miller said in the statement.
"It is incumbent on all law enforcement agencies to promote the
balance of protecting the community ... while preserving the freedoms
and civil liberties of all residents," the statement said.
Eugene police were waiting Wednesday for advice from city attorneys
before deciding whether to participate in the FBI interviews. Salem
police said federal agents have not yet asked them for help.
"Give us some legitimate reason to talk to the people -- other than
that they're from the Middle East -- and we'll be glad to,"
said Pam Alejandere, a Eugene police spokeswoman.
Federal agents will likely question 23 foreign visitors in the
Portland area, the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday. Another
40 will be questioned in Eugene. About 30 people will be interviewed
in Corvallis.
The state attorney general on Tuesday said there is nothing in
Oregon law that prevents state investigators from helping with the
interviews, but Portland officials have a different interpretation.
City attorney Jeffrey Rogers said Wednesday a few of the Justice
Department's questions could violate state privacy laws protecting
people not accused of crimes.
Federal authorities want to question about 200 people in Oregon
who are in the state on student, work or tourist visas. All have
come to the state in the past two years from countries known to
harbor terrorists.
The people on Oregon's list will be questioned, one way or another,
said Kent Robinson, chief of the criminal division at the U.S.
Attorney's office in Portland.
The Oregonian newspaper obtained a partial list of the questions
federal agents instructed local police officers to ask as part of
the probe.
The paper identified three guidelines issued by federal authorities
that Portland city officials believe would violate state law if
posed during interviews.
They are:
"You should obtain all telephone numbers used by an individual and
his family or close associates." "If he lives with others you
should inquire as to their identities. You should note any
information that would assist us in locating the individual in the
future." "You should inquire specifically whether he or anybody he
knows has ever visited Afghanistan."
Those were among the guidelines sent to U.S. Attorneys on Nov. 9
by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, the newspaper said.
A group called the Portand Peaceful Response Coalition (PPRC) is
holding a march in support of the Portland police decision not to
take part in the questioning. The group plans to meet at Pioneer
Courthouse Square in downtown Portland at 5 p.m. Friday and will
march to City Hall.
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