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Posted: 5:02 PM- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Attorney for Utah and the head of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office said Thursday there should be no rush to establish a federal task force on polygamous crimes because existing partnerships already offer cross-agency cooperation.
"What's also lost in this debate is let's not ignore that just announcing a task force doesn't give you probable cause to launch an investigation and it doesn't allow you to ignore constitutional protections," U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman said in an interview.
Tim Fuhrman, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's field office in Salt Lake City, said local agencies seem to be satisfied with the efforts so far and a task force won't necessarily solve any problems.
"In many of our investigations we work with state and local agencies" Fuhrman said. "I don't see the need to go beyond that working relationship that we have right now and that exists with those partners."
Tolman and Fuhrman were responding to calls this week by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the attorneys general for Utah and Arizona to form a federal task force to pursue polygamy-related crimes. Reid jousted with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Arizona's top law enforcement official, Terry Goddard, over actions the two states have taken, but all three agreed a task force was needed.
But Tolman and Furhman say establishing a federal-level effort may not be the end-all answer.
"To argue that the feds need to get involved ignores the fact we've been very involved and that we're limited by the statues that are involved and that this is very much a state issue," Tolman said Thursday.
Reid spokesman Jon Summers said Thursday his boss stands by his call for the task force.
"Sen. Reid believes a federal task force could do a lot to increase enforcement efforts," Summers said. "Both [attorneys general] from [Utah] and [Arizona] seemed to agree with Sen. Reid on the phone yesterday that it would be helpful."
Shurtleff and Goddard wrote to Reid this week to outline the two states' enforcement of polygamy-related crimes after the majority leader, a Nevada Democrat, blasted them for "turning a blind eye" to the issue. Since that radio interview with KUER's RadioWest, the three have talked and agreed to focus their efforts on getting federal law officials involved.
After listing 10 steps the two states have taken to step up pressure and prosecute polygamy-related crimes, Shurtleff and Goddard said in the letter that they have taken positive steps to bring changes to the communities dominated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but that "we have a long way to go."
"What has taken a century to build cannot be changed overnight," the attorneys general said. "But step by step, we are making important changes."
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