<p>Photo by: Mike Damron – KPBS San Diego</p>
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<p>A local governmental committee that has distributed over $200 million in tactical and surveillance equipment to police and fire agencies without public meetings and disclosures has now amended its charter to require itself to comply with state open meeting laws after a lawsuit filed by La Prensa San Diego exposed their secret meetings in December 2020.</p>
UAWG
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<p>A secret committee of local fire and police chiefs postponed its December meeting just minutes before it was to start after La Prensa San Diego filed a lawsuit claiming the group’s meetings violate state open meeting laws.</p>
<p>The group, called the Urban Area Working Group (UAWG), is the “Approving Authority” recognized by the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to distribute funding to local law enforcement and fire agencies to prepare for and respond to terrorist threats.</p>