San Francisco police union pushes for SFPD to rejoin FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In the wake of the attack in New Orleans, the San Francisco Police Officers Association is asking for SFPD to reinstate its partnership with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The partnership was suspended in 2017 because of pressure from civil liberties advocates.

The POA posted on X: "The SFPD should rejoin the joint terrorism task force to work with all of our law enforcement partners in keeping the people who live, work and visit San Francisco safe."

"We put out the tweet because what happened in New Orleans. Nobody wants to see that happen again. We have some high-profile events happening here in the city. And we want to make sure we have every available piece of information that is going to keep the public safe," said Lt. Tracy McCray with the SF Police Officers Association.

McCray says there will be a lot of eyes on San Francisco because of upcoming events like the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference.

"That's going to be really huge and after what happened in New York with the CEO killed," McCray said.

In February there's the Chinese New Year Parade and the NBA All-Star Game.

"That's a huge event. Security is paramount," McCray said.

RELATED: New Orleans attack latest: 14 killed; Police don't believe any other suspects involved, FBI says

The San Francisco Police Department pulled out of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2017 during the Trump Administration.

SFPD faced pressure from civil liberties advocates and members of the Muslim community concerned that the FBI and SFPD would target undocumented immigrants and Muslim residents. Law enforcement leaders say SFPD and the FBI share information now but that more needs to be done.

"Even though there is info that is shared with the department, it's different from actually being part of this joint effort. This task force where we would actually have someone dedicated to being on that task force," McCray said.

"To not have SFPD involved in it, as a member of it, is ludicrous," said former FBI Agent Rick Smith. He says SFPD needs to be part of the task force.

"It's a coordinated group that is formed to deal with situations just like what is being dealt with today in New Orleans. It's essential to have a coordinated effort and one command post when something like this happens," Smith said. "To be safe, you need law enforcement to talk together in realtime to deal with these things."

MORE: Safety experts detail ways to protect SF's 'entertainment zones' in wake of New Orleans attack

Local leaders say what happened in New Orleans is a wake up call.

"We have to double down on our relationships with federal partners like the joint federal task force. I'm going to do everything I can as a member of the Board of Supervisors to support that," said SF Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

A San Francisco Police Department spokesman said it's time for rethink its membership in the JTTF.

It also issued a statement saying that officers are on heightened alert and are prepared to respond to any incident that may occur. SFPD will be fully staffed for all major events in the coming weeks and months.

The decision to reinstate the partnership between SFPD and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force depends on the SF Police Commission.