Law enforcement officers in the rest of the nation are questioning foreigners about their possible knowledge of terrorist activities. But Kroeker, worried about civil rights violations, has said his officers will not join in this task. His is the only police agency in the country to refuse to cooperate for such reasons, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department.

Because of that decision, based on advice from Portland’s city attorney, Kroeker is winning plaudits from civil libertarians. But he is catching flak from all over the country.

— Los Angeles Times
Oh just shoot me now. I cannot live with myself anymore. I am actually coming out in favor of a cop.
I can save myself the mental anguish though. More precisely, as usual I am coming out against stupid and ignorant people.
I can’t believe the entire country is guning for a police department, because the police actually decided to show restraint. The cops didn’t make a knee-jerk reaction like most of their counterparts by drooling over themselves with incestuous glee while fulfilling a FBI and Justice Department directive.
I refuse to even be concerned that it involves the September attacks on the US. That is by far a secondary concern in this case, at least to me.
First of all, Police departments are intentionally localized organizations. Having each community police itself is not only more efficient than a national force, but removes any temptation to evolve such a national police force into Big Brother from 1984 or the firemen from Farrenheight 451. That this local police department is now being assailed for not immediatly and blindly following the federal decree is insane.
Considering I personally have never seen an officer stop to utilize that lump of graymatter between their shoulders, (yes, between their shoulders. they never seem to have necks), I find it very comforting to know there are police out there who take time to consider the right and wrong of their actions, and what effect those actions will have on the people they’re dealing with.
If people in this country had any conscience, this would be just one more thing that would lead to a lot of ashamed people in a few months.
Thankfully, we all have the long-term memory of a pile of steaming dog shit.