Redacted Chapter of FBI Field Guide Stays Sealed
Redacted Chapter of FBI Field Guide Stays Sealed
(CN) - After privately reviewing a closely guarded chapter of the FBI's Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, a federal judge has confirmed that it cannot be released to the Muslim civil liberties group that sought access.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan forbid access to the bulk of the guide in November, agreeing that the chapters redacted by the FBI are exempt under the Freedom of Information Act because they detail specific internal investigatory techniques and procedures that could assist criminals, terrorists and foreign intelligence operatives.
The FBI had invited Muslim Advocates and other groups to review the entire 270-page guide without redactions at the agency's headquarters in a 2008 effort to get feedback from the civil rights community. Though the groups had the opportunity to take notes on the guide, the FBI required them to return the materials at the end of the two meetings.
Claiming that they were denied a meaningful review, Muslim Advocates and the other groups demanded copies of the guide.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/01/12/42998.htm