Miami police take new tack against terror

[shadowdancer]

anyone else think this is just plain wrong ?

randomly surrounding buildings and asking to see your ID just to show the 'terrorists' that the police are still out there and to keep people guessing.

Hello Miami, welcome to the police state. (in my opinion)

Miami police take new tack against terror

By Curt Anderson, Associated Press Writer | November 28, 2005

MIAMI --Miami police announced Monday they will stage random shows of force at hotels, banks and other public places to keep terrorists guessing and remind people to be vigilant.

Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said officers might, for example, surround a bank building, check the IDs of everyone going in and out and hand out leaflets about terror threats.

"This is an in-your-face type of strategy. It's letting the terrorists know we are out there," Fernandez said.

The operations will keep terrorists off guard, Fernandez said. He said al-Qaida and other terrorist groups plot attacks by putting places under surveillance and watching for flaws and patterns in security.

Police Chief John Timoney said there was no specific, credible threat of an imminent terror attack in Miami. But he said the city has repeatedly been mentioned in intelligence reports as a potential target.

Timoney also noted that 14 of the 19 hijackers who took part in the Sept. 11 attacks lived in South Florida at various times and that other alleged terror cells have operated in the area.

Both uniformed and plainclothes police will ride buses and trains, while others will conduct longer-term surveillance operations.

"People are definitely going to notice it," Fernandez said. "We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened. We need them to be our eyes and ears."

Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida, said the Miami initiative appears aimed at ensuring that people's rights are not violated.

"What we're dealing with is officers on street patrol, which is more effective and more consistent with the Constitution," Simon said. "We'll have to see how it is implemented."

Mary Ann Viverette, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said the Miami program is similar to those used for years during the holiday season to deter criminals at busy places such as shopping malls.

"You want to make your presence known and that's a great way to do it," said Viverette, police chief in Gaithersburg, Md. "We want people to feel they can go about their normal course of business, but we want them to be aware."

source: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...com%20/%20News

[Legal Eagle]

Hey

Any new initiative is now bundled under the 'anti-terrorism' umbrella. No matter how effective the method or wether the methodology or implementation has ever even been assesed or evaluated.

A similar program was conducted in Orlando FL , earlier this year at the request of Rep. Rick Keller, it turned out to be a 'back-door' way to round up 'illegal' immigrants (primarily Mexicans) who work in the construction industry.

On one 'raid' nearly 50 people where arrested and handed over to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and where deported within 48 hours, without contact with their families who for the most part, where resident in the US.

Miami has the largest 'Illegal Immigrant' population in Florida, we will have to see if this is just another 'Immigration' sting.

The ACLU are very mute when it comes to 'operations' that have the '9/11' vent attached to them. Civil liberties where not halted just because of 9/11, they should have been enhanced and embraced at the same time as 'diplomatic' security enforcement.

Regards

Legal Eagle

[shadowdancer]

you could well be true, considering the catch and release law at the mexico border is ending

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10173883/

a quote from that document

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said last month his department’s aim was to “return every single entrant — no exceptions” but gave no deadline. Mexicans are usually returned immediately — and most of them try again, some within hours.

looks like a crackdown on all illegals

[incognito™]

that sounds to me like what Merseyside Police do to at least 3 nightclubs a weekend in Liverpool... nothing about terrorists though just weeding out under age drinkers and dealers.