This is from Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch


Local Police Fail to Notify Feds about Possible Terror Suspects

Over the last few weeks, I've provided you with important updates on Judicial Watch's campaign to end illegal alien sanctuary policies. In Phoenix, Arizona, for example, the chief of police recently announced a new policy that will make it easier for Phoenix police officers to communicate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Judicial Watch helped prompt this policy change through pressure from an investigation and a threatened lawsuit.
http://tinyurl.com/5dfcnx

Judicial Watch also filed important new briefs in its legal effort to stop "Special Order 40," the LAPD's sanctuary policy for illegals. We also launched an investigation of Culver City, California's sanctuary policies following the murder of high school student Jamiel Shaw by an illegal alien gang member who had been released from a Culver City jail the day before the incident.

This week, we were reminded yet again (as if we needed it) as to why it is so important for local police officers to have free and unfettered communication with federal officials in matters involving law enforcement, immigration and national security. Consider this from the June 3rd edition of USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... _N.htm?csp

"State and local police officers fail to notify federal authorities about encounters with possible terror suspects up to 10 times a day, a senior FBI official said. The rate of failure represents missed opportunities to verify possible matches to suspects on the government's terrorist watch list or to remove the names of innocent individuals. Leonard Boyle, director of the bureau's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), said in an interview."

If you do some quick math that means approximately 3,500 terror alerts are ignored by local and federal police officers each year. And many of these officers are no doubt operating under sanctuary policies that frustrate and even prohibit cooperation with federal officials.

While the article notes the difficulty in determining whether or not these missed reports will lead to terrorist incidents, the argument for compliance is not entirely theoretical. Consider this: "Two of the (9/11) hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, were sought by federal investigators for more than a year before the attacks. Both went undetected, even though Oklahoma authorities had stopped Alhazmi and cited him for speeding five months before the attacks in 2001."

Of course, illegal alien advocates (such as the ACLU) essentially argue that matters such as immigration enforcement (which are directly related to our national security) are purely federal affairs, and that state and local officials are legally prohibited from getting involved. We've put the lie to that argument many times over. (In fact, Judicial Watch took a lead role in a promoting a federal program, known as 287g, which specifically trains local police officers in immigration enforcement techniques.)

But here's yet another counter, as reported by USA Today: "Police are asked to contact the (Terrorism Screening) Center when routine computerized background checks on individuals - who may have violated traffic rules or been involved in a domestic disturbance - trigger electronic alerts from the TSC."

Yes, national security is a federal obligation. Just like the federal government is charged with protecting our borders. But local police officers are being asked to assist. And preventing another 9/11 may depend on whether they do so.