In an extraordinary move that capped two weeks of growing outrage sparked by the court-sanctioned San Francisco police raid of a reporter’s home, the city's police chief, William Scott, on Friday night acknowledged for the first time that the raid may have violated California state law and called for an outside, independent investigation into his own department.
Police “should have done a better job,” Scott told The Chronicle. “I’m sorry that this happened. I’m sorry to the people of San Francisco. I’m sorry to the mayor. We have to fix it. We know there were some concerns in that investigation and we know we have to fix it.” California’s shield law protects journalists from being forced to reveal their sources or be compelled to turn over unpublished reporting -- including notes, recordings and pictures. The law explicitly bars police from obtaining a reporter’s sometimes highly-sensitive newsgathering through searches.
For two weeks after the raid, police official dug in their heels, even as San Francisco’s mayor, district attorney and California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly criticized the move, and in a press conference on Tuesday Scott had said that “our actions reflect that we believe Mr. Carmody was a suspect in a criminal conspiracy to steal this confidential report.”
Freelance reporters as part of their job obtain information of news value -- whether it be a police report, a picture or exclusive video -- and negotiate to sell it to local news outlets, which are often too short-staffed or insufficiently budgeted to do much investigative reporting of their own.
thepoliticalcat I ❤ SF. Happy to be a bay area resident.
The SF mayor supported this raid. SF is using communist tactics against reports. There is no Freedom Of The Press in SF. Sad.
... yeah. Resign now. Thanks.
That takes guts and courage to call for a probe in his own police force as to why a reporters home was raided! I applaud it and apology needed to the reporter! Shows that reporters may be targets again, and hope no important information was taken, trashed or whatever! Super cop!
That's an unusual move. Talk about CYA.
Apologies so often hollow, or never given at all, make the idea of taking responsibility and trying to correct mistakes more welcome.
Dirty cops being dirty cops!
I was probed once by the Greys. I'm still worried if there will be side affects.
In a truly non fascist move, the San Francisco police chief calls for a probe of his own force, as a reporter whose home was raided seeks an apology.
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