US Border Patrol, Port Angeles, WA-

Aug 2010-

A US Border Patrol spokesperson tells the press:

“Border Patrol spokeswoman Jenny Burke said Monday that the agency will not release any information on the number of arrests made by agents who work out of the Port Angeles station, the names of those arrested, what they were arrested for and the disposition of their cases”

“The number of arrests for Port Angeles’ or any other station is “law enforcement-sensitive,” Burke said.”

“The names of those arrested and other facts about them are not available for release under the 1974 Privacy Act, she said.”

 

Aug 2011-

“In March, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Richard Sinks declined to release statistics on apprehensions or detainments made by the Port Angeles station.”

“Disclosure of the arrest statistics from the Port Angeles station would provide those interested in crossing our borders illegally with information that could aid their strategic targeting of potentially vulnerable areas along the border,” he said in an e-mail. “To maintain operational security these numbers will not be provided.”

 

Sept 2012-

Denied FOIA requests-

“The Border Patrol has refused repeated requests by the Peninsula Daily News — including those made under the Freedom of Information Act — for arrest totals for the Port Angeles station, which covers a territory that includes Clallam and Jefferson counties.”

 

Arrest statistics are secret.

Secret arrest policy instantly lifted if something to brag about takes place.

CBP showcases apprehensions on their own web site. Does this report threaten national security?

Any other law enforcement agencies observing the do not report arrest numbers due to security reasons protocol?

No secret arrest statistics here

Did newspeople in the San Diego area place national security at risk by making this report?

 

JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society-

 

Imagine a school district wanting to expand staff and facilities and, at the same time- suppressing public information Re: the number of students enrolled, teachers on staff and number of students graduated in the past 36 months.

“…the Border Patrol has refused to divulge the number of agents in Port Angeles…”

 

Perhaps the new USBP outreach program will take time to explain why- in the whole wide world of law enforcement work- does the Port Angeles US Border Patrol station tell us they can’t report arrests because that would help the bad guys- yet crimes handled by local law enforcement agencies & the FBI are reported as public information?

 

March 2011- Local paper submits FOIA request for USBP arrest numbers to justify new 50 agent station. FOIA request denied. FOIA appeal denied.

 

What is a Border Patrol sector?

The civic units of measure familiar to Americans are states, cities and counties.

The US Border Patrol is broken up into sectors- which are arbitrary federal zones- confusing by design.

The State of Washington is served by two Border Patrol sectors- Spokane Sector & Blaine Sector.

Look for reports that provide USBP arrest statistics for sectors- not stations. This reporting format makes it difficult for the public to understand what is going on at the Port Angeles US Border Patrol station.

“Blaine Sector Border Patrol agents, who cover Alaska, Oregon and the western half of Washington state, made 591 arrests in 12 months, the agency announced last week in its annual nationwide arrest report.”

Don’t look for local journalists to question this manipulation of public information.

 

The people of Erie, PA did not have to submit a FOIA request to find out what justified the expansion of their local Border Patrol station-

No public information/security conflict at the U.S. Border Patrol station (not sector) in Erie, PA.

Erie Station- similar to Port Angeles in that it is separated from Canada by water.

Note: reports of the expansion at Erie include numbers of arrests out of that station:

“The Border Patrol operations in Erie, nearly six years old, include more than 30 agents who apprehended 588 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2008-09.”

“The Border Patrol’s apprehensions in the Erie area have grown steadily, from 332 in fiscal 2006-2007 to 588 in 2008-09 to 305 so far in 2009-10.

Of those apprehended so far this fiscal year, 136 were individuals found by other law enforcement agencies and turned over to the Border Patrol.”

 

Discuss on facebook here:

Local reporters will not question the US Border Patrol at Port Angeles?

Or here:

US Department of Credibility

 

 

 

Photo- Early winter morning at Point Wilson Light