In the early 2000s, the ACLU of Colorado worked on multiple fronts--both inside and outside the courtroom--to challenge and raise public awareness of a sinister practice of multiple law enforcement agencies: monitoring and keeping files on how Colorado residents were exercising their First Amendment rights.
The campaign began in March, 2002. The ACLU held a news conference to disclose documents that revealed the existence of what quickly became known as the Denver Police Department’s “Spy Files.”
The documents showed that Denver police were monitoring the peaceful protest activities of Denver-area residents and keeping files on the expressive activities of law-abiding advocacy organizations. In many cases, the police files labled these law-abiding groups as “criminal extremist.”
The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit to uncover the scope of the political spying. The lawsuit revealed that multiple law enforcement agencies in Colorado, including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, were also compiling files on peaceful protest activity.
In these pages, the ACLU of Colorado provides details of the Spy Files controversy as it unfolded, as well as documents uncovered through the Spy Files litigation and the subsequent pursuit of FBI documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
- Chronology of the Spy Files controversy
- Sample documents from the Denver police Spy Files Denver police monitored peaceful protest activity in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
- Denver police Spy Files reveal political spying by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force Spy Files documents provide a peek into the political spying carried out by the FBI.
- Multi-Agency Group Intelligence Conference (MAGIC) Dozens of Colorado law enforcement agencies meet regularly to swap political spying information.
- Does your name appear in the Spy Files? The Spy Files are now housed at the Denver Public Library. You can review your police file.
- Spy Files Class action lawsuit details. The ACLU's class action challenging Denver's Spy Files uncovered the scope of the political spying and resulted multiple changes in policy and practice.
- What is a “criminal extremist”? The Denver Spy Files labled multiple organizations as “criminal extremist.” What does that mean?
- Overview of Joint Terrorism Task Force More on the political spying carried out by the FBI’s JTTF
- Media coverage of the Spy Files controversy Links to the extensive media coverage about the Denver Spy Files and the FBI's political spying.