By Tyler Brown
The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
VANCOUVER, Wash. — In a Thursday video posted on social media, Vancouver Police Chief Troy Price said residents have been interfering with ongoing investigations conducted by police specialty units.
Price said people have been incorrectly identifying specialty officers — members of the SWAT team and Crime Reduction Unit — as federal agents.
| DOWNLOAD: How to launch a DFR program
“Members of the public have been following, yelling at, demanding identification, and engaging with our officers as they travel and at locations where they are working to arrest high-risk and often armed suspects,” Price said in the video. “These units are responsible for apprehending some of the most violent offenders in our community, and the work they do is already extremely dangerous. Drawing attention to them increases the danger to everyone.”
Thursday’s video post follows months of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in and around Vancouver. These actions have drawn criticism for their deceptive and aggressive nature, including incidents in which immigrants have been injured, such as being mauled by a dog or run over by a vehicle. ICE agents arrested one man outside the Clark County Courthouse during a trial break.
ICE agents reportedly exploited the proximity of the Vancouver Veterans Affairs campus in a recent incident involving a Russian asylum-seeker. A witness said a man in a dark-blue uniform, claiming to be VA campus police with a warrant from ICE, knocked on his door and “just needed something signed.” Several business owners who have witnessed ICE arrests on Fourth Plain Boulevard said agents were wearing uniforms that made them look like Clark County sheriff’s deputies. Others described ICE agents wearing a “corrections officer” label.
Although Price did not directly mention ICE, he highlighted the difference between federal agents’ uniforms and local police. Price said the police department has observed a pattern in other areas in which federal agents wear uniforms and gear that closely resemble those worn by the department’s specialty officers.
This isn’t the first time the police department has issued an educational video on uniform identification.
Thursday’s video shows a local officer in a SWAT uniform as an example. The officer wears an olive drab green uniform with a tactical vest, helmet, goggles and body-worn camera on the vest. The video noted the department’s shoulder patches.
The video also showed a photo depicting the attire and equipment of Crime Reduction Unit officers. The uniform includes police-issue vests that display " VANCOUVER POLICE” on the back. Officers are also equipped with police-issue firearm belts and holstered firearms.
Vancouver officers can be identified by the “VANCOUVER” insignia visible on their outer vest or shoulder patch, Price said.
Their vehicles, including armored vehicles, are also clearly marked with the department’s name, though unmarked vehicles may be used in operations, Price said.
Price emphasized that distractions, including yelling or drawing attention to the officers as they conduct these missions, put officers, suspects and bystanders in immediate physical danger.
These interferences are hindering the ability of Vancouver police to perform their duties, Price said. He also issued a warning about potential consequences.
“These actions ultimately compromise my mission to keep Vancouver safe. Depending on the circumstances, such actions may be in violation of state law and could result in your arrest,” Price said in the video. “I cannot make myself clearer. Do not interfere in the work of law enforcement officers while they are in the middle of an incident. Let us do our jobs so we can protect this community.”
© 2026 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.). Visit www.columbian.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
