SAN FRANCISCO -- In letters sent to seven Bay Area police and sheriff’s departments today, the ACLU of Northern California and several other civil rights groups are urging law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps to ensure that the California state constitutional right to privacy is fully respected.  The letters were sent to police and sheriff’s departments identified by the FBI as participating on the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), a task force made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

            “We are urging local departments to take immediate steps because we fear that this precious constitutional right will be compromised by anti-terrorism investigations encouraged by new federal policies,” said Mark Schlosberg, Police Practices Policy Director of the ACLU of Northern California.  “These policies allow federal agents to spy on religious and political organizations in the absence of any suspicion. Quick action is needed to ensure that local police follow the California constitution – not dangerous   federal guidelines that violate our state constitution.”

            The letters are being sent in response to Attorney General Ashcroft’s recent unilateral decision to roll back long standing guidelines that were put in place as a result of the gross intelligence abuses of the 1960’s. The letters urge local law enforcement working with the FBI to follow California’s constitution.

            “It is essential for local law enforcement to remain independent from federal jurisdiction and federal agendas,” said Helal Omeira, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “There is no way an appointed official in Washington DC could understand the needs of local law enforcement and the communities they serve. Undermining civilian trust in law enforcement does not help anyone and will only serve to create distrust and resentment in those communities.”  

            The letters were sent to the Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara County Sheriffs and the Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco Police Departments. Some address specific local concerns and in each letter, the ACLU outlines steps that local police departments must take to protect the privacy rights of its residents.

            The letters were signed by an array of community groups and civil rights organizations including Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Arab-American Caucus of the Democratic Party, Japanese American Citizen League of Northern California, American Muslim Alliance, the San Francisco Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, La Raza Centro Legal, and others.

Earlier this month, the three California ACLU affiliates, representing over 50,000 members, sent a letter to State Attorney General Bill Lockyer urging him to ensure that intelligence gathering practices carried out in California – whether by state, local or federal law enforcement officers - fully respect the state constitution.

            Click here for letters sent to the following police and sheriff's departments:  Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.