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Saturday November 3 10:48 PM ET
........- ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) - The sheriff of a northwest Oregon county has proposed creating an armed volunteer civil defense force to provide extra security for sensitive facilities in the area.
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By The Associated Press
........Sheriff John Raichl envisions a force of 125 volunteers who could be mobilized during periods of high alert to patrol docks, bridges, reservoirs, power stations, gas lines and other vital places that can't be adequately covered by law enforcement in Clatsop County.
........He presented the idea Wednesday at a meeting on North Coast emergency preparedness.
........County Commissioner Bob Green, who attended the meeting, said a civil defense force was an ``excellent idea.'' But County Manager Jim Azumano said issues such as liability and worker's compensation would have to be reviewed first.
........The volunteers would not be deputized but would operate under the authority of the sheriff, under Raichl's plan. They would patrol in pairs, using standard sporting firearms such as rifles and shotguns, but would not be allowed to take enforcement action.
Raichl said the idea isn't that much different from the civilian patrol groups who watched the country's shorelines during World War II.
........"It may seem unorthodox now, but it's not unprecedented," he said.
........"In times of war, there have been all kinds of unusual methods of engaging the population."