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San Francisco officials debate oversight of SFPD participation in FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
Summary
At a joint Police Commission and Human Rights Commission hearing May 18, 2011, community groups and civil-rights advocates pressed city officials over a secret 2007 MOU with the FBI and urged a transition to a resolution-based relationship to preserve civilian oversight; the police chief issued a May 16 bureau order requiring SFPD officers to identify as SFPD and said local policies take precedence.
At a joint meeting of the San Francisco Police Commission and the Human Rights Commission on May 18, 2011, officials and community advocates debated whether San Francisco police officers assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) must operate under a 2007 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that critics say weakens local oversight.
Police Chief Sir said the department has issued a bureau order dated May 16, 2011, that requires members assigned to federal task forces to identify themselves as San Francisco police officers and reaffirmed that "San Francisco policies, procedures, laws, and statutes trump any federal policy or procedure." He also said he moved the unit back under Special Investigations so supervisors with the necessary clearances would oversee the work and pledged quarterly reviews of investigations involving the JTTF.
Why it matters: community advocates told the commissions that a previously secret 2007 MOU removed key checks on federal-local cooperation and has eroded trust in…
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