Some Politicians Are Trying Their Best To "Milk" The Bowling Green Al-Qaeda Iraqi Terror Suspects Affair. Now Justice Department Has To Assure Local Folks It Will Pay For The Trial. Since When Has ANY Locality Paid For ANY Federal Trial? Enough Already.
Government to bear cost of trial
Many officials had been worried about reimbursement to city should terrorism suspects be tried in Bowling Green
By ANDREW ROBINSON
Several politicians in recent weeks have called on the federal government to reimburse the City of Bowling Green for potential costs incurred should the trials of two suspected terrorists be held here.
However, a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Daily News this morning reveals such calls might be unnecessary.
“The federal government bears the costs of federal prosecutions and covers the bulk of expenses related to security,” said Dean Boyd, spokesman for the Department of Justice. “It is important to note that court security is a core function of the U.S. Marshals Service, which is an agency within the Justice Department that is funded annually through the federal budget.
“We don’t anticipate this particular trial requiring any additional appropriations from Congress and believe the Justice Department can appropriately handle this matter within its existing budget.”
Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, both Iraqi refugees who were living in Bowling Green, were arrested on terrorism charges in May.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., state Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, as well as Bowling Green city commissioners, have voiced concerns about potential costs to the city and state if the men are tried in Bowling Green.
The commissioners last week voted down a resolution that would have asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to move the trial; however, a majority did say they would be in favor of the city being reimbursed for any costs incurred during the trials.
The topic of reimbursement has been as hot as debate over whether the trial should be held in Bowling Green or before a military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Before the Department of Justice statement, city officials were unable to nail down an estimate of the potential costs.
Mayor Joe Denning was asked after the July 5 city commission meeting if he was confident the city could be reimbursed.
“I have no idea,” Denning said. “I don’t know how that works, I would say that there’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t count on that.”
City Manager Kevin DeFebbo said in an email to the Daily News on Monday that he doesn’t have an estimate of what it would cost the city. He said city officials assume there would be extra cost to the city, although it can’t be calculated at this time. DeFebbo added that if the trial is in Bowling Green and the city learns more about the local resources requested or needed, then the city would do a cost estimate.
Meanwhile, Officer Ronnie Ward, spokesman for the Bowling Green Police Department, said, after doing some research, that he didn’t find any examples in which the BGPD assisted the federal courthouse with securing the facility or working outside. Politicians such as McConnell have painted a picture of a heavily armed police presence in the downtown area, including the possibility of road closures and disruption of daily life in Bowling Green.
When speaking in Bowling Green on June 7, McConnell used the example of the terrorism trials in Alexandria, Va., as one in which daily life was disrupted.
In materials distributed to media, McConnell’s office pulled text from various stories from the Washington Post concerning the trial of accused terrorists in Alexandria.
“The 2006 death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui turned the neighborhood around the courthouse into a virtual encampment, with heavily armed agents, rooftop snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs, blocked streets and identification checks,” according to a 2009 article from the Post.
However, the trials of Alwan and Hammadi are not death penalty cases.
The U.S. Attorneys office in Louisville issued a statement last month attempting to put some fears about the possible trials to rest. The statement said the federal criminal justice system has demonstrated its effectiveness in handling terrorist threats.
“The U.S. Marshals and the FBI have a proven track record providing comprehensive security without incident in these types of prosecutions all over the country,” U.S. Attorney David J. Hale said in a statement last month. “And I expect the same results here.”
Many officials had been worried about reimbursement to city should terrorism suspects be tried in Bowling Green
By ANDREW ROBINSON
Several politicians in recent weeks have called on the federal government to reimburse the City of Bowling Green for potential costs incurred should the trials of two suspected terrorists be held here.
However, a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Daily News this morning reveals such calls might be unnecessary.
“The federal government bears the costs of federal prosecutions and covers the bulk of expenses related to security,” said Dean Boyd, spokesman for the Department of Justice. “It is important to note that court security is a core function of the U.S. Marshals Service, which is an agency within the Justice Department that is funded annually through the federal budget.
“We don’t anticipate this particular trial requiring any additional appropriations from Congress and believe the Justice Department can appropriately handle this matter within its existing budget.”
Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, both Iraqi refugees who were living in Bowling Green, were arrested on terrorism charges in May.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., state Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, as well as Bowling Green city commissioners, have voiced concerns about potential costs to the city and state if the men are tried in Bowling Green.
The commissioners last week voted down a resolution that would have asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to move the trial; however, a majority did say they would be in favor of the city being reimbursed for any costs incurred during the trials.
The topic of reimbursement has been as hot as debate over whether the trial should be held in Bowling Green or before a military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Before the Department of Justice statement, city officials were unable to nail down an estimate of the potential costs.
Mayor Joe Denning was asked after the July 5 city commission meeting if he was confident the city could be reimbursed.
“I have no idea,” Denning said. “I don’t know how that works, I would say that there’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t count on that.”
City Manager Kevin DeFebbo said in an email to the Daily News on Monday that he doesn’t have an estimate of what it would cost the city. He said city officials assume there would be extra cost to the city, although it can’t be calculated at this time. DeFebbo added that if the trial is in Bowling Green and the city learns more about the local resources requested or needed, then the city would do a cost estimate.
Meanwhile, Officer Ronnie Ward, spokesman for the Bowling Green Police Department, said, after doing some research, that he didn’t find any examples in which the BGPD assisted the federal courthouse with securing the facility or working outside. Politicians such as McConnell have painted a picture of a heavily armed police presence in the downtown area, including the possibility of road closures and disruption of daily life in Bowling Green.
When speaking in Bowling Green on June 7, McConnell used the example of the terrorism trials in Alexandria, Va., as one in which daily life was disrupted.
In materials distributed to media, McConnell’s office pulled text from various stories from the Washington Post concerning the trial of accused terrorists in Alexandria.
“The 2006 death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui turned the neighborhood around the courthouse into a virtual encampment, with heavily armed agents, rooftop snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs, blocked streets and identification checks,” according to a 2009 article from the Post.
However, the trials of Alwan and Hammadi are not death penalty cases.
The U.S. Attorneys office in Louisville issued a statement last month attempting to put some fears about the possible trials to rest. The statement said the federal criminal justice system has demonstrated its effectiveness in handling terrorist threats.
“The U.S. Marshals and the FBI have a proven track record providing comprehensive security without incident in these types of prosecutions all over the country,” U.S. Attorney David J. Hale said in a statement last month. “And I expect the same results here.”
Labels: Crime, Middle East, Military, Punishment, Terror
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 4:58 PM
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