Security police

October 27, 2005 12:35 AM

I saw white Homeland Security cars during a walk through San Francisco tonight. They were marked, "Department of Protective Services," or something like that -- I'd never heard of the DPS. What is it, and why would they be cruising around a neighborhood?
posted by johngoren to law & government (11 comments total)

I saw a couple of Homeland Security cruisers in Denver not too long ago. They just patrol the areas around high risk places like regular cops patrol neighborhoods.

Don't panic.
posted by idiotfactory at 12:55 AM on October 27, 2005

High risk for what idiotfactory?
posted by birdherder at 1:09 AM on October 27, 2005

Are you sure it wasn't part of the Department of Social Services in charge of abuse investigation (Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services)?
posted by arruns at 1:15 AM on October 27, 2005

It doesn't answer your question, johngoren, but I can verify that I saw a van driving by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals tonight that I think was DPS. I've also seen a Homeland Security RV parked out front of that building on at least one occasion.
posted by quadog at 1:22 AM on October 27, 2005

California Protective Services? Private security.
posted by dhartung at 2:49 AM on October 27, 2005

Federal Protective Service protects federal buildings and is a part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement which is a part of the Deparment of Homeland Security.
posted by lazy-ville at 4:59 AM on October 27, 2005

Their RV at least seems to be marked: Federal Protective Service - Department of Homeland Security - POLICE so that might not be it. Oh and that's a pretty impressive RV, I must say.
posted by lazy-ville at 5:02 AM on October 27, 2005

I hear "protective services" and automatically think of the people who investigate child abuse.... were you in one of the poorer areas (relatively speaking, I guess, if it's San Francisco)? That's who they pick on.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:46 AM on October 27, 2005

In my neighborhood in SF, the private security company hired by the projects around the corner drive cars marked with something very similar, though I can't remember the exact phrasing. So, another vote for a private security company, and not Homeland Security.
posted by occhiblu at 8:58 AM on October 27, 2005

Thanks. They were very unmistakably Homeland Security seals, I just might have gotten the sub-department name wrong.
posted by johngoren at 11:49 AM on October 27, 2005

P.S. It was in an outlying neighborhood with no federal buildings, mainly Russian and Chinese senior citizens, so ... maybe they were just out for some grub at the dive restaurant they parked near.

Federal Protective Services sounds right.
posted by johngoren at 11:52 AM on October 27, 2005