Documents released by the Washington state American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at a press conference on July 8, 2010 substantiate claims that a college campus police officer  infiltrated a student activist group in April. The ACLU says the documents identify alleged incidents of covert surveillance conducted by police without a “reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.” The ACLU also called on state lawmakers to curb illegal surveillance of political and religious groups by police officials.

During the press conference Kathleen Taylor, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, said documents obtained through a public disclosure request shed light on the police department’s monitoring of activist groups. She described how a plain-clothes University of Washington (UW) police officer, Tanesha van Leuven, attended meetings of a student group in April and collected information which she later passed on to her superiors.  Students who attended the April 8 meeting said she introduced herself as “Tani” and appeared to be a “genuinely committed social-justice advocate.” Days later, students say they saw her in her police uniform and she was “unapologetic” after they confronted her about her identify and actions.

The documents included UW Police Department e-mails and PowerPoint briefings relating to activists on campus and their potential civil disobedience activities.

The Student Workers Coalition (SWC) had been organizing school custodians to protest cuts in jobs, wages and hours. Rules do not prohibit undercover officers from attending public meetings, but members of the SWC claim that UW police have been targeting their organization for months. SWC member Salmun Kazerounian described the spying on the students as “an embarrassing waste of public resources that disrupts legitimate and important organizing activities.”   This is not the first time government officials have been caught spying on activists in Washington state.

Taylor also used the press conference to urge state lawmakers to support the “Creating the Washington Enhanced Intelligence Act,” which combines two related bills that would “forbid authorities from collecting, maintaining or disseminating information about an individual or group’s political or religious beliefs or activities, absent a reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct.” Both measures failed to pass the state legislature in early 2010.