- WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a
shift from its position 24 hours earlier, the U.S. Postal Service said
Thursday it had decided to meet with the Justice Department to discuss
Operation TIPS, a government plan to encourage U.S. postal workers to report
suspicious activity as part of the government's war on terrorism.
-
- USPS officials had said Wednesday their 800,000 employees
would not participate in the proposed program, whose name is an acronym
for Terrorist Information and Prevention System.
-
- But the USPS explained Thursday, "That decision
was made because we had insufficient information on the program, and because
we had not discussed the issue internally or with the two unions affected."
-
- In a statement, the postal service said it, the National
Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers'
Association agreed a meeting was necessary with Department of Justice representatives
to discuss the initiative.
-
- No meeting has been scheduled.
-
- Several weeks ago, Homeland Security officials approached
the postal service about Operations TIPS and held a preliminary meeting
about the possible involvement of letter carriers in the proposed initiative.
-
- Plans for the program have raised concern across the
political spectrum. Members of civil liberties and privacy groups have
joined conservative groups in their condemnation of the proposed program,
dubbing it "Operation Snoops."
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- http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/18/operation.tips/index.html
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