The January 9th edition of The Port Townsend Leader features a statement by Chief Patrol Agent John C. Bates of the Blaine USBP sector.
This statement can be found on page A-9 of the print edition which will be on sale locally for one week.
It is unfortunate that this statement is not available in the Leader’s web edition which is offered free of charge. Keeping a statement made by a public official out of the web edition suppresses discussion and limits readership Re: public policy issues that impact the local community.
Did Chief Bates select just one local paper for his statement, or did this statement go out to several newspapers?
The statement from Chief Bates also includes a link to the USBP 2012-2016 Strategic Plan for border security.
Here is related info from another source:
Border Patrol’s New Strategy Highlights Agency’s Lack of Clear Direction
March, 2012-
An insert included with the The Port Townsend Leader informed us on Olympic Peninsula US Border Patrol operations.
The article reads like paid advertising or something produced by US Border Patrol public relations.
Most of the photos used in the article were provided by the federal government.
More from the Blaine sector:
This might be a good time for The Leader to assign a reporter and follow-up with some questions.
Please ask Chief Bates about secret arrest statistics, denied FOIA requests & whistleblower investigations that result in further suppression of information.
The US Border Patrol limited questions at the recent grand opening of the $11.9 million, 50 agent facility at Port Angeles:
Please remind Chief Bates that local law enforcement agencies post dispatch logs in The Leader:
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Log
City of Port Townsend Police Log
Please ask Chief Bates why arrest statistics are not secret at Erie, PA.
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.
This local story cries out for investigative reporting:
Agency in question makes an inside deal- like negotiating a record contract or signing an NFL quarterback-
Deal results in further suppression of information.
Oversight? Checks and balances?
Reporters asking questions? Not a chance-
Zero reporting on the following questions:
Are fraudulent overtime claims the norm at Port Angeles?
Does the practice still continue?
How long did it go on?
Our Washington State Patrol opened a criminal investigation in a similar case:
Ex-trooper charged with official misconduct for overtime pay
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society-
News links and documentation here:
A Very Effective Information Suppression Campaign
Related:
Positive Examples in Law Enforcement
Discuss on facebook
Olympic Peninsula Border Patrol timeline here.
Photo- Vancouver Island from Crescent Beach
Thanks for you commitment to exposing the truth .