diff --git a/db/auth-hook.sql b/db/auth-hook.sql
index 3797382..a5894f4 100644
--- a/db/auth-hook.sql
+++ b/db/auth-hook.sql
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@
 --   "A Postgres function copies role/org_id into JWT claims (custom
 --    access token hook) so RLS can check them cheaply."
 --
+-- Also copies department_id — needed so RLS policies can scope Staff
+-- reads to "published + assigned to their department" (04-database-
+-- schema.md section 3) using JWT claims only, without any policy ever
+-- querying the profiles table from another table's policy.
+--
 -- Run this AFTER schema.sql (needs the profiles table to exist).
 -- After running, enable the hook in the Supabase dashboard (see bottom
 -- of this file for the exact steps) — running the SQL alone does not
@@ -17,10 +22,11 @@ as $$
     claims jsonb;
     user_role public.user_role;
     user_org_id uuid;
+    user_department_id uuid;
   begin
-    -- Look up this user's role and org_id from profiles.
-    select role, org_id
-      into user_role, user_org_id
+    -- Look up this user's role, org_id, and department_id from profiles.
+    select role, org_id, department_id
+      into user_role, user_org_id, user_department_id
       from public.profiles
       where id = (event->>'user_id')::uuid;
 
@@ -29,9 +35,11 @@ as $$
     if user_role is not null then
       claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{role}', to_jsonb(user_role));
       claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{org_id}', to_jsonb(user_org_id));
+      claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{department_id}', to_jsonb(user_department_id));
     else
       claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{role}', 'null');
       claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{org_id}', 'null');
+      claims := jsonb_set(claims, '{department_id}', 'null');
     end if;
 
     event := jsonb_set(event, '{claims}', claims);
diff --git a/db/policies.sql b/db/policies.sql
index 1311b51..d840f2c 100644
--- a/db/policies.sql
+++ b/db/policies.sql
@@ -24,12 +24,19 @@
 -- access via RLS is only granted where the matrix explicitly says so
 -- (insert own, read/write, etc). Everything else is mutated exclusively
 -- by service-role /api routes, which bypass RLS entirely.
+--
+-- All checks below read role, org_id, and department_id from JWT claims
+-- (auth.jwt() ->> '...') set by db/auth-hook.sql. No policy in this file
+-- ever queries the profiles table — the sops/sop_versions staff-scoping
+-- checks use the department_id claim directly instead of joining
+-- profiles, avoiding any cross-table RLS dependency.
 
 -- ============================================================
 -- orgs (not in matrix — read own org only, no client write)
 -- ============================================================
 alter table orgs enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists orgs_read on orgs;
 create policy orgs_read on orgs
   for select using (
     id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -41,23 +48,27 @@ create policy orgs_read on orgs
 -- ============================================================
 alter table departments enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists departments_read on departments;
 create policy departments_read on departments
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
   );
 
+drop policy if exists departments_insert_admin on departments;
 create policy departments_insert_admin on departments
   for insert with check (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') = 'admin'
   );
 
+drop policy if exists departments_update_admin on departments;
 create policy departments_update_admin on departments
   for update using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') = 'admin'
   );
 
+drop policy if exists departments_delete_admin on departments;
 create policy departments_delete_admin on departments
   for delete using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -74,11 +85,25 @@ create policy departments_delete_admin on departments
 -- ============================================================
 alter table profiles enable row level security;
 
+-- CRITICAL: the JWT claims hook (db/auth-hook.sql) reads role/org_id/
+-- department_id from this table on every login/token refresh, running
+-- as supabase_auth_admin. Enabling RLS above blocks that read unless
+-- this policy exists — without it, the hook silently returns null
+-- claims and every other policy in this file fails closed. This grant
+-- + policy is idempotent (grant is safe to re-run; the policy already
+-- exists from db/auth-hook.sql, not recreated here to avoid a
+-- duplicate-policy error).
+grant select
+  on table public.profiles
+  to supabase_auth_admin;
+
+drop policy if exists profiles_read on profiles;
 create policy profiles_read on profiles
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
   );
 
+drop policy if exists profiles_update_admin on profiles;
 create policy profiles_update_admin on profiles
   for update using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -92,6 +117,7 @@ create policy profiles_update_admin on profiles
 -- ============================================================
 alter table sops enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists sops_read on sops;
 create policy sops_read on sops
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -103,20 +129,21 @@ create policy sops_read on sops
         and exists (
           select 1
           from sop_assignments sa
-          join profiles p on p.department_id = sa.department_id
           where sa.sop_id = sops.id
-            and p.id = auth.uid()
+            and sa.department_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'department_id')::uuid
         )
       )
     )
   );
 
+drop policy if exists sops_insert_editor on sops;
 create policy sops_insert_editor on sops
   for insert with check (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') in ('editor','admin')
   );
 
+drop policy if exists sops_update_editor on sops;
 create policy sops_update_editor on sops
   for update using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -132,6 +159,7 @@ create policy sops_update_editor on sops
 -- ============================================================
 alter table sop_versions enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists sop_versions_read on sop_versions;
 create policy sop_versions_read on sop_versions
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -142,9 +170,8 @@ create policy sop_versions_read on sop_versions
         and exists (
           select 1
           from sop_assignments sa
-          join profiles p on p.department_id = sa.department_id
           where sa.sop_id = sop_versions.sop_id
-            and p.id = auth.uid()
+            and sa.department_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'department_id')::uuid
         )
       )
     )
@@ -155,12 +182,14 @@ create policy sop_versions_read on sop_versions
 -- ============================================================
 alter table approvals enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists approvals_read on approvals;
 create policy approvals_read on approvals
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') in ('editor','approver','admin')
   );
 
+drop policy if exists approvals_insert on approvals;
 create policy approvals_insert on approvals
   for insert with check (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -174,6 +203,7 @@ create policy approvals_insert on approvals
 -- ============================================================
 alter table sop_assignments enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists sop_assignments_read on sop_assignments;
 create policy sop_assignments_read on sop_assignments
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -185,12 +215,14 @@ create policy sop_assignments_read on sop_assignments
 -- ============================================================
 alter table acknowledgements enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists ack_insert_own on acknowledgements;
 create policy ack_insert_own on acknowledgements
   for insert with check (
     user_id = auth.uid()
     and org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
   );
 
+drop policy if exists ack_read on acknowledgements;
 create policy ack_read on acknowledgements
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -203,17 +235,20 @@ create policy ack_read on acknowledgements
 -- ============================================================
 alter table sop_translations enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists translations_read on sop_translations;
 create policy translations_read on sop_translations
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
   );
 
+drop policy if exists translations_insert_editor on sop_translations;
 create policy translations_insert_editor on sop_translations
   for insert with check (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') in ('editor','admin')
   );
 
+drop policy if exists translations_update_editor on sop_translations;
 create policy translations_update_editor on sop_translations
   for update using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -226,12 +261,14 @@ create policy translations_update_editor on sop_translations
 -- ============================================================
 alter table audit_log enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists audit_read on audit_log;
 create policy audit_read on audit_log
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
     and (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') in ('approver','admin')
   );
 
+drop policy if exists audit_insert on audit_log;
 create policy audit_insert on audit_log
   for insert with check (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -243,6 +280,7 @@ create policy audit_insert on audit_log
 -- ============================================================
 alter table ai_log enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists ai_log_read_admin on ai_log;
 create policy ai_log_read_admin on ai_log
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -255,12 +293,14 @@ create policy ai_log_read_admin on ai_log
 -- ============================================================
 alter table incidents enable row level security;
 
+drop policy if exists incidents_insert_own on incidents;
 create policy incidents_insert_own on incidents
   for insert with check (
     reporter_id = auth.uid()
     and org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
   );
 
+drop policy if exists incidents_read on incidents;
 create policy incidents_read on incidents
   for select using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid
@@ -268,6 +308,7 @@ create policy incidents_read on incidents
           or (auth.jwt() ->> 'role') in ('editor','approver','admin') )
   );
 
+drop policy if exists incidents_update on incidents;
 create policy incidents_update on incidents
   for update using (
     org_id = (auth.jwt() ->> 'org_id')::uuid