In an article published today, Wall Street Journal reports the United States Justice Department is opening a probe into the San Francisco Police Department to investigate allegations of officer misconduct. Last year Public Defender Jeff Adachi alleged a group of undercover officers falsified police reports, entered homes without proper warrants and did not properly identify themselves. From the article:
Dozens of other instances have since surfaced where officers' written statements allegedly conflicted with surveillance videos or other evidence. San Francisco's district attorney dismissed dozens of such cases, and asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate.
Now federal prosecutors are moving forward with a probe that examines, in part, whether San Francisco police made arrests under false pretenses while conducting investigations, many of them concerning the poor people who live in the Henry and other residential hotels, say people briefed on the investigation.
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At least three SF Police officers have been before a grand jury, the Journal reported.
According to the article, the Justice Department is investigating more than 20 police departments nationwide for possible civil-rights violations. What makes the San Francisco case different, the Journal reported, is that if convicted, police officers could serve jail time. Other investigations into the Seattle and Miami police departments are civil cases.