In agreement on Patriot Act

Dan Kulin

Monday, March 20, 2006 | 7:09 a.m.

Las Vegas city leaders are apparently poised to adopt a resolution opposing portions of the U.S. Patriot Act - and Metro Police might possibly join in the criticism.

Representatives of the ACLU and other groups spoke against the act at a Las Vegas City Council meeting last week and urged the council to pass a resolution of opposition.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said that after meeting with Metro officials, he believes the ACLU and the police largely agree on what a City Council resolution should say.

"It is remarkable how close his expression of what they are desirous of and your expression of what you are desirous of comes," Goodman said.

"Our job isn't going to be that hard, I don't think, on this one," the mayor said. "They are not very far apart."

For example, police officials have spoken against racial profiling.

But Stan Olsen, executive director of Metro's Office of Intergovernmental Services, said that while he will discuss the matter with others, efforts to get Metro to join in any statement against the act might be misdirected.

"Metro has never enforced any part of the Patriot Act," Olsen said.

The Patriot Act has drawn intense fire from civil libertarians for infringing on personal liberties by giving federal investigators broad powers. Eight states and more than 400 local governments, including the Elko city and county governments, as well as Sparks and Silver Springs, have adopted resolutions critical of the act.

The Las Vegas City Council is expected to vote April 19 on a resolution laying out the city's opposition to parts of the Patriot Act, which was signed by the president March 9.

Lee Rowland, a representative from the ACLU of Nevada, proposed that the council adopt a resolution critical of parts of the federal act.

In general, the language that the ACLU advocates calls upon law enforcement to refuse to:

Councilman Steve Wolfson suggested ACLU and Metro representatives meet within the next two weeks to discuss the matter and reach a consensus on what they would like to see the council adopt.

Olsen said Metro is "willing to sit down and talk with people, listen to their concerns and show them that a lot of them are directed at the wrong people, the City Council, Metropolitan Police Department or whatever.

"These are federal issues, and if they have issues that need be addressed to federal entities, then they should address them to federal entities as was discussed earlier," he said. "If somebody's been harmed file lawsuits against the federal government or against these laws that they feel are inappropriately used."

Nevada ACLU Executive Director Gary Peck said he was encouraged by the mayor's comments.

"If Metro endorses the city resolution, then we would expect them to abide by those terms," Peck said. "Hopefully we can find language we can all agree on."