Local rules upheld for SF police on FBI task force

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco police assigned to the FBI's terrorism task force must abide by local policies protecting civil rights rather than looser federal rules, under an order revealed Wednesday night by Police Chief Greg Suhr.

His announcement came during a rare joint meeting of the San Francisco police and human rights commissions, which was called after the American Civil Liberties Union, along with groups representing Arab Americans and other minorities, raised concerns that local police officers who served on the task force fell under FBI control and therefore operated under federal laws that gave them more leeway in terrorism investigations.

Under the new order issued by Suhr this week, San Francisco police policy trumps FBI policy, even for officers serving on the federal task force, Suhr said.

ACLU lawyers applauded Suhr's announcement, but they said the real question now is whether the FBI will go along with the order, which alters a 4-year-old agreement between the federal agency and the San Francisco Police Department.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/18/BATR1JI5MV.DTL

Once again, our City by the Golden Gate takes a stand for civil liberties and justice and sets the example for the rest of the nation.
I'm so glad to be a San Franciscian.

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