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Investigations bureau outlines federal task-force partnerships, RICO successes and cannabis boundaries
Summary
Captain Kevin Cashman told the Police Commission that SFPD works closely with federal partners (FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service and JTTF), uses federal statutes such as RICO in major gang prosecutions, and enforces internal limits on participation in federal drug and immigration probes to align with city policy.
Captain Kevin Cashman of the San Francisco Police Department's Investigations Bureau gave commissioners a detailed briefing on how the department works with federal partners and the internal controls that guide those collaborations.
Cashman listed long-standing task-force relationships with the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He said cross-designated SFPD inspectors assigned to federal task forces can exercise federal authority within those operations and that federal collaboration has yielded major case results, including a model straw-purchase firearms case that led to a 34-month federal sentence, a bank-robbery defendant sentenced to 67 years, and large-scale RICO indictments (cited examples include the Big Block and Sunnydale investigations).
Cashman emphasized deconfliction procedures with federal partners, citing the need to coordinate operations to prevent officer safety issues and to protect ongoing investigations. He described how the department negotiates a written agreement, chain-of-command approvals and training before SFPD officers participate in joint operations. "There is a process in place," he said, pointing to an interagency document and department general orders as the governing framework.
Commissioners raised questions about how the SFPD's participation in federal investigations aligns with city policies on immigration and marijuana enforcement. Cashman and Lieutenant Rick Perry said department bulletins and general orders create a "wall" that prevents SFPD inspectors from participating in federal cannabis investigations that would conflict with local policy and restrict participation in matters concerning immigration status; participation requires supervisory approval and specific written authorization.
Captain Cashman also described Operation Falcon, a U.S. Marshals-led sweep that produced dozens of arrests in the Bay Area and underscored the operational benefits of federal partnerships for targeting violent offenders and fugitives.
Next steps: Commissioners asked to continue the dialogue on federal coordination and to receive further details about case-selection criteria and the department's written guidelines when appropriate.
