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ACLU Calls on Attorney General to Justify Use of Force in Removing Elian Gonzalez (04/24/2000)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union has long objected to the overuse of force by government authorities when a lesser degree of force would be sufficient. We are therefore troubled by the use of a heavily armed SWAT team with guns drawn to remove Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives on Saturday. If the Attorney General has reason to believe that such a degree of force was necessary, she should present that evidence to the American people without delay.

Private Conversations Sent By Email Deserve the Same Protection as Telephone Conversations, ACLU Says (04/06/2000)
"Legally, it is easier for the government to snoop through a couple's private emails to one another than it is for the government to listen in on the very same conversations if they take place on the phone," said Gregory T. Nojeim, a legislative counsel for the ACLU. "The distinction cannot be justified -- electronic conversations deserve the same level of protection as our telephone calls." 

ACLU Urges SEC to Halt Internet Snoop Plan; Asks Congress to Strengthen Driver's License Privacy (04/04/2000)
WASHINGTON -- In a letter sent today to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union called a plan to create an Internet surveillance system for monitoring online fraud "a potential threat to the privacy and free speech rights of Americans," and urged the agency to suspend the plan.

Senate Panel Approves Asset Forfeiture Reform (03/23/2000)
WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel today unanimously approved a measure that would help return the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" as the standard of our country's justice system.

Facing NYCLU Lawsuit, Town Agrees to Restore Free Speech Rights for Police Officers (03/21/2000)
NEW YORK -- Responding to a lawsuit recently filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Town of Wallkill today agreed to rescind its gag order policies preventing its police officers from speaking out about departmental matters.

ACLU Applauds New Police Accountability Measure (03/15/2000)
WASHINGTON--The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the introduction of a bill designed to curb outrages like Los Angeles Police Department's "Ramparts" scandal and the Amadou Diallo shooting in New York.

ACLU Denounces Imperial Police Chief, Renews Call for Independent Commission (03/15/2000)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- We have an imperial chief in Los Angeles. The refusal of Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks to work with the L.A. County District Attorney's office on the Rampart corruption scandal is another reason why it is essential to appoint an independent commission to examine the systemic problems in the LAPD. Parks is trying to grab more authority, rather than be held accountable for his actions and those of his department.

ACLU Calls White House Report on Internet Crime Law Enforcement "Wish List" (03/09/2000)
WASHINGTON-- A White House report on blocking Internet crime contains dangerous recommendations that would strip away basic privacy, free speech and free press protections, the American Civil Liberties Union warned today.

ACLU of Southern California Responds to Appointment of Experts to Investigate LAPD (03/07/2000)
LOS ANGELES--I have great respect for the integrity and good faith of the Police Commission and its president, Gerald Chaleff. We are pleased to see some movement from the Commission on police reform, but this proposal is still no substitute for the creation of a truly independent panel.

ACLU Calls for Independent Commission to Investigate Corruption Scandal Rocking LAPD (03/01/2000)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- It's time for the mayor to wake up. This city and its police department need an independent commission - and we need it now. Relying on the police department to ferret out all of the underlying problems is like having a cancer patient operate on himself.

ACLU Renews Calls for Congressional Hearings Into Secret Global Surveillance System (02/25/2000)
"In light of the controversy engendered by this week's hearings before the European Parliament, Congress must move quickly to investigate to determine if ECHELON is as sweeping and intrusive as has been reported," said Gregory T. Nojeim, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. 

Following Police Acquittals, NYCLU Calls on Federal Government to Open Civil Rights Investigation into Diallo Shooting (02/25/2000)
NEW YORK--Aside from the question of individual criminal culpability decided today by a state jury, the New York Civil Liberties Union believes that the federal civil rights of Amadou Diallo were violated when he was shot and killed by four members of the New York Police Department's Street Crime Unit on February 4, 1998.

New Policy on Pepper Spray in Oregon (02/25/2000)
Eugene, OR -- To spray or not to spray? That is the question Eugene police officers will have to ask twice before taking aim with a can of pepper spray, the Register-Guard reported.