The government reportedly sent SWAT teams from 16 different federal divisions to several cities to handle unrest involving racial justice protests in May and June.
The report from the Government Accountability Office, which acts as Congress' chief watchdog, reported teams were deployed to cities including Buffalo, Miami, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. — in some cases as the main protection for federal buildings and in other cases as backup to other law enforcement agencies, according to The Washington Times.
The actions came under intense scrutiny amid racial justice protests across the country.
The Times reported the deployment was most intense in the nation's capital, with 11 different tactical teams playing some role there during protests.
The involvement included the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, and the Pentagon's 14-member Force Protection Emergency Response Team, which cleared protesters near a military courthouse.
Buffalo and San Diego each saw four different SWAT teams deployed, the news outlet reported.
Other cities included El Paso, Dallas, Houston, and Pearland in Texas; Detroit and Port Huron in Michigan; St. Louis; Los Angeles and San Francisco in California; New York City; Seattle and Tacoma in Washington; and Denver, the Times reported.
Portland was not listed; GAO's review only spanned through June, and additional federal tactical teams were sent to the Oregon city in July.
GAO released the information as part of a broader audit of 25 tactical teams run by federal agencies.
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