cannabisnews.com: More U.S. Agents on B.C. Border Crowd Jails





More U.S. Agents on B.C. Border Crowd Jails
Posted by CN Staff on June 08, 2002 at 21:37:53 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Canoe
A flood of U.S. federal agents arriving at the Canadian border to stop would-be terrorists is instead catching drug smugglers and small-time criminals, who are beginning to clog the local court systems. The sheriff and prosecutor responsible for Whatcom County in northwestern Washington have long had to deal with what they called the "border effect," when cases too small to interest federal prosecutors are turned over to local jurisdictions.
But as more border agents start making more busts, Sheriff Dale Brandland said he fears the situation will worsen. "My jail is full," said Brandland. "Police officers can't arrest people on minor misdemeanour warrants because there's no place to put them." County officials are hinting that unless they get more federal money, they just might stop handling federal cases. Whatcom County is more susceptible than most northern counties to the border effect. It contains the Blaine border crossing, the busiest crossing west of Detroit, one used to illegally transport highly potent marijuana from British Columbia to Seattle, Portland and California, and cocaine north to Canada. About 8 million people cross the border at Blaine each year and about 400 arrests made there each year are handled by the Whatcom County prosecutor's office. Jailing, prosecuting and providing legal help for those arrested usually costs the county about $2.3 million a year. Prosecutor Dave McEachran is worried those costs are about to climb. In May, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a bill authorizing 1,600 new immigration officers to work along the border with Canada by 2006. That includes 100 new agents for Washington this year. "We are starting to stagger under this load," McEachran wrote to Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state last fall. "I believe we have been faithful and diligent partners to the federal government for years in this battle and now need to have our federal partners support us financially in this effort." He noted that, after an increased focus on stemming illegal immigration from Mexico to the U.S. in the 1990s, several Texas counties simply refused to handle federal arrests until the federal government agreed to pay for them. Now, the federal government compensates those counties and others in the region for every case they handle. McEachran acknowledged that most border cases are better handled by the county than by federal officials. But more financial support is needed, he said. Whatcom County currently has one drug prosecutor paid for by the federal government and one staff member. The two positions cost about $100,000 a year. That's more than the zero assistance given to St. Clair County, where a bridge links Port Huron, Mich. to Sarnia, Ont. A senior trial attorney in that county prosecutor's office said that, for now, the cases his office handles don't pose too great a burden. But "anytime you increase the enforcement, you're likely to detect larger volumes of contraband," said Joseph McCarthy Jr. "I can see the bridge from my office window, and I can tell you the semi-truck traffic is barely crawling," he said. "The more thoroughly you inspect, the more you're going to find there." John McKay, the U.S. attorney in Seattle, said it's unlikely the federal government will start reimbursing counties in Washington state, but there are other things the federal government can do. He suggested the possibility of assigning a full-time federal prosecutor, and possibly even a federal judge, to Whatcom County. "We need to deploy our resources in a different way," McKay said. "Our principal focus now is terrorism, but with added resources we're going to see more drug cases, more arrests, and that's going to put more pressure on the court system." The problem isn't just drug cases. It's also that fugitives caught heading for the border on Interstate 5 wind up in the Whatcom County jail. It's the same with any suspects being extradited from British Columbia. The county's jail averaged 250 prisoners a day in 2001, which was 17 over capacity, an overpopulation that can be attributed at least in part to border cases. Washington's other border counties take on only a handful of cases from federal officials each year, and say they could probably absorb a few more. Complete Title: More U.S. Agents on B.C. Border Will Further Crowd Jails: County OfficialsSource: Canoe (ON)Published: June 8, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Canoe, a division of Netgraphe Inc. Website: http://www.canoe.ca/Contact: http://www.canoe.ca/Help/feedback.htmlRelated Articles:Border Cameras Too Close for Some http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12991.shtmlZeroing in on Border Pot Smugglers http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12645.shtmlPlugging a Very Porous Northern Border http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12462.shtmlSoldiers at US Border Posts To Be Armed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12371.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by Industrial Strength on June 09, 2002 at 22:20:00 PT
this is nothing but a good thing
The Vancouver police department lax stance on marijuana is not due to marijuana's prevalence in Vancouver's society, it is due to the glut of possesion/cultivation cases that clogged the courts. Obviously, those cases were due to the prevalence of marijuana in Vancouver's society, so in the end, I suppose, semantically, that is the reason, but the Police didn't just "see the light" I guess is what I am trying to say. Anyway, if I salvage this track from running in semantic circles, eventually, the courts and law enforcement will get 'fed' up. That, or unbiased media coverage (impossible to even wish for) will be our only salvation. The majority of people think marijuana activists are your typical, off the wall beatnicks. Thats why this low level activism will never, ever work, without, as I said earlier, unbiased media coverage.
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Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 09, 2002 at 08:12:39 PT
Ha Ha Hardy Har Har
The drug war only fills jail$.Washington's other border counties take on only a handful of cases from federal officials each year, and say they could probably absorb a few more. But no problem for the war establi$hment.
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Comment #3 posted by Lehder on June 09, 2002 at 04:49:26 PT
Border Effect
"My jail is full," said Brandland. "Police officers can't arrest people on minor
   misdemeanour warrants because there's no place to put them." That's the "border effect": misdemeanors become legal. I've heard it announced by the dispatchers over a police radio on weekends: "Make no arrests for misdemeanors - jail is full." If you're threatened or slugged on the street - well, it never happened. If your windows get broken or your car vandalized that's because the cops are busy at the border looking up someone's butt. We have this drug war, we are told, to protect children, but the childrens' mothers had better stay off the street unless they enjoy being intimidated just for the hell of it and called "bitch" or "whore" by the new owners of the block. If you look over your shoulder at those four punks who spat as they brushed by you, you'll see one of them is walking backward, swaggering and looking back at you, motherfucker. You better not make eye contact, because that's how an unlettered challenge, a dare, is made when misdemeanors are legal.Be very careful on the street. Be nice and mind your own business. Smile, and say hello to your new border drug war.
Good Day!
'Carlos'
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Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on June 09, 2002 at 04:18:05 PT
close the borders
Mine the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, the Gulf of Mexico and build a 10 foot high electrified fence along the land border, razor wire at the top
.
Place land mines along the Canadian and Mexican borders every 4 feet, 3 rows deep in a zigzag pattern.Also, buy munition company stocks.Might as well put a video surviellance camera in every household in the United States.Technology will be our passage to slavery. It doesn't matter if you do drugs or not, you are suspect. Therefore, you are guilty.What's the sense in peace, when war pays so handsomely?Foxy Loxy runs pell mell through the henhouse.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on June 08, 2002 at 22:32:19 PT
Now children, share that taxpayer loot!
 "I believe we have been faithful and diligent partners to the federal government for years in this battle and now need to have our federal partners support us financially in this effort."
Yeah, give us some of the sweet green milk from that big federal cash cow! John McKay, the U.S. attorney in Seattle, said it's unlikely the federal government will start reimbursing counties in Washington state, but there are other things the federal government can do.He suggested the possibility of assigning a full-time federal prosecutor, and possibly even a federal judge, to Whatcom County
So instead of sharing the sweet green milk with the county, the feds are going to just pump a little more out of the cash cow for themselves.Gosh talk about the public being hustled by politicians.
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