Oregon State Police who are now charged with keeping the peace in Portland and its surrounding suburbs have been “cross-deputized” by the federal government, a local news organization revealed Wednesday, meaning that those arrested by Oregon state police officers can be prosecuted by the United States attorney for crimes stemming from the ongoing unrest even if the local prosecutor refuses to.
KGW Portland reports that Oregon State Police were actually deputized earlier this summer, perhaps as part of a deal to draw down a federal police presence in Portland. As part of that agreement, the Department of Homeland Security removed a number of federal agents from “elite” Customs and Border Protection units that had been protecting a federal courthouse from rioters if the Oregon state government agreed to provide ongoing protection for federal properties.
.png)
.png)
