By his 11th-hour addition of language unacceptable to federal law enforcement officials, Mayor Sam Adams has effectively scuttled the City of Portland's re-entry into the Joint Terrorism Task Force. And he's done it in a way that illustrates some clever political calculations.
In a letter [PDF] to Adams sent yesterday, U.S. Attorney for Oregon Dwight Holton made clear that Adams' new proposal—that Portland Police Bureau officers be involved only in "investigations" and not in more preliminary "assessments" of terrorist activity—is a deal-breaker.
Commissioner Randy Leonard
WWeek 2015