Independent Investigation: SCPD Violated Civil Rights Of Organizers

News, finally, after weeks of silence on the police spying issue. The Independent Investigation into Santa Cruz police spying was released today. This focused on an undercover police infiltration of a group planning an unpermitted New Year's Eve parade in Santa Cruz, California.

The conclusion that the police auditor drew was that while the SCPD officers may not have violated any local laws or policies, they more than likely violated the civil rights of parade organizers. Quoting from conclusions on page 32 of the report: "In my opinion, the Santa Cruz Police Department violated the Last Night DIY Parade organizers' rights to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in the manner in which they went about obtaining information about the organizers' activities."

We are still pushing the Santa Cruz City Council for strong limits on police power and protection for people's civil liberties. A special meeting of the Public Safety Committee will be meeting within the next two weeks to discuss the results of the investigation.

The report is available at Kinko's downtown for copying (about 40 pages), and available below as a PDF.