FBI Seattle Contracts Detail Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Procedures
Across the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) are the tip of the spear in executing President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7).
JTTFs integrate federal agents from a range of entities including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Defense investigators, and local municipal police all under one umbrella within FBI Field Offices across the country.
For cities like Seattle, where citizens widely hold views that President Trump considers potential “indicia” of violence, that creates tension between municipal police departments and citizens who are currently calling for the withdrawal of Seattle Police Department (SPD) participation in the JTTF.
In the Puget Sound region, the SPD, King County Sheriff's Office, University of Washington Police Department, the Port of Seattle Police Department (POSPD) and other law enforcement entities all detail their own employees to the FBI Seattle Division’s Puget Sound JTTF.
The FBI declines to acknowledge the names of task force officers detailed to JTTFs and told HardPressed that it neither confirms nor denies the existence of NSPM-7 linked investigations in Seattle. Few details have been reported concerning the operation of JTTFs in Washington State.
However, two FBI documents obtained by HardPressed through a public records request confirm contractual details concerning the operations of the Puget Sound JTTF. They show a Standard Memorandum of Understanding between the FBI and JTTF participating agencies. One of the contracts obtained by HardPressed is identical to other standard agreements used across the U.S. that have been previously published by the Brennan Center and journalist Ali Winston. Another agreement obtained by HardPressed has never previously been published.
When asked if the contracts are standard agreements and if identical contracts have been signed between the FBI and SPD, the FBI Seattle Division wrote to HardPressed that “we do not have a comment.”
The SPD did not respond to a request for comment.
MOUs
In 2007, the POSPD signed a Standard Memorandum of Understanding with the FBI concerning POSPD’s participation in the Puget Sound JTTF. That contract details that the “the mission of the JTTF is to leverage the collective resources of the member agencies for the prevention, preemption, deterrence and investigation of terrorist acts that affect United States interests,” and that “the policy and program management of the JTTFs is the responsibility of FBI Headquarters.”
According to the contract, “The National Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF) is located at FBI Headquarters - Liberty Crossing 1” in Virginia, the same site as the “National Counterterrorism Center (Liberty Crossing) where counterterrorism personnel are co-located with their Central Intelligence Agency counterparts,” according to the FBI’s website.
Locally, the contract states that “participating Agency heads will be briefed regarding JTTF matters by the SAC [special agent in charge] or ADIC [assistant director in charge], as appropriate, through established JTTF Executive Board meetings.”
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s office did not respond to a request for comment if she has personally obtained security clearances or been briefed by the FBI Seattle concerning NSPM-7-linked investigations.
Another unsigned and undated Puget Sound Joint Terrorism Task Force Memorandum of Understanding (PSJTTF MOU) released by the POSPD is being published by HardPressed for the first time. The document was provided in response to a request from HardPressed for memorandum of understanding currently in effect between POSPD and the FBI.
The agreement states that “the organizations to be investigated will be identified and agreed upon by JTTF member agencies," and that the FBI “will closely coordinate with the Chief of the POSPD, or their designees, on matters of mutual concern relating to such policy and direction [of the JTTF], thus ensuring the absence of conflict.” Participating agency heads, “will be kept fully apprized of all investigative developments by their respective subordinates.”
In the context of NSPM-7, this agreement would seem to indicate that municipal police chiefs in the Puget Sound region are kept in the loop, consent to, and are fully aware of NSPM-7-linked investigations.
Another component of the PSJTTF MOU requires local police deference to federal investigations whenever the JTTF is engaged in a case and specifically forbids concurrent investigations operated by a local agency and the JTTF.
“It is agreed that matters designated to be handled by the JTTF will not knowingly be subject to non-JTTF law enforcement efforts,” the PSJTTF MOU states. “It is also agreed there shall be no unilateral action taken on the part of any participating agency relating to JTTF investigations. All law enforcement actions will be coordinated and cooperatively carried out.”
Both contracts state that the JTTF will continue indefinitely, but that local law enforcement participation can be terminated at any time.