Comments on: Security police

Question: Security police

johngoren — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:35:57 -0800

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?

By: idiotfactory

idiotfactory — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:55:30 -0800

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.

By: birdherder

birdherder — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:09:46 -0800

High risk for what idiotfactory?

By: arruns

arruns — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:15:55 -0800

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)?

By: quadog

quadog — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:22:37 -0800

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.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 02:49:06 -0800

California Protective Services? Private security.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 04:59:06 -0800

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.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 05:02:19 -0800

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.

By: dagnyscott

dagnyscott — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 06:46:37 -0800

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.

By: occhiblu

occhiblu — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 08:58:45 -0800

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.

By: johngoren

johngoren — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:49:44 -0800

Thanks. They were very unmistakably Homeland Security seals, I just might have gotten the sub-department name wrong.

By: johngoren

johngoren — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:52:14 -0800

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.