04:27 PM PST on Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Associated Press

Departing Mayor Vera Katz has postponed a vote on renewing city participation in an FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force while Mayor-elect Tom Potter and a city commissioner seek security clearance to review the agreement.

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"He needs to have a better idea of what they're doing," said Nancy Hamilton, chief of staff for Potter, who is a former Portland police chief.

"He's hopeful they can accelerate his clearance," Hamilton said of Potter's request to the U.S. Justice Department.

Commissioner-elect Sam Adams also said he wanted access to task force information to be accountable to voters.

"If the joint terrorism task force gives me the security clearance to review the files, I will vote yes," Adam told The Oregonian. "If they don't give me the clearance, I will vote no."

He said the task force has done some good work, but said he has concerns about the Bush administration's positions on civil liberties.

"So the onus rests on those of us who were elected to govern the city to make sure that here in Portland things are going well," Adams said.

Katz postponed a City Council vote by commissioners Monday, saying approval of an emergency ordinance such as the task force agreement requires at least four votes and unanimous support from all commissioners present.

Commissioner Randy Leonard is not working this week but said he would have come in Wednesday to vote no if he "had to be rolled in on a stretcher." Commissioner Erik Sten, who also will be on the council next year, said he is undecided. Both have raised questions about civilian oversight of the task force.

Leonard, a former firefighter, said Monday he is upset that Portland police officials don't have top-secret Justice Department clearance to supervise and monitor Portland police on the task force.

Police Chief Derrick Foxworth, Assistant Chief Jim Ferraris and Katz have received secret security clearances, one level short of top-secret.

Bob Jordan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Portland office, said he did not know of any local government that has pulled out of a joint terrorism task force. There are similar groups in 100 cities and at least one in each of the FBI's 56 field offices.

Katz said she is satisfied that Portland police are complying with state laws that prohibit police from collecting or maintaining information on political, religious or social views, unless the information is part of a criminal investigation and unless reasonable grounds exist to suspect criminal conduct.

Leonard doesn't share that confidence in compliance. He also says Portland should be federally reimbursed for the pay of the two Portland officers on the task force. The federal government reimburses only for overtime costs.

"At a time when we're releasing people who are committing crimes against people in our community, we can't afford to be sniffing around for al-Qaida in downtown Portland," Leonard said.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman supports continued participation in the task force.

The council last approved renewal in the task force in October 2003, the day it issued a resolution criticizing the USA Patriot Act.