Lawmakers plan hearings on state police spying (MD)

[struggle4progress]

Source: Baltimore Sun

By Laura Smitherman | Sun reporter
8:08 PM EDT, July 21, 2008

State lawmakers are planning formal hearings on Maryland State Police efforts to spy on peace activists and death penalty protesters, potentially paving the way for a thorny debate in the next General Assembly session over whether to restrict the law enforcement agency's authority.

Sen. Brian E. Frosh, chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said Monday that he plans to hold hearings, possibly in September, to question state officials about the infiltration of activist groups by covert agents. The spying and surveillance over a 14-month period through 2006 was exposed last week when state police turned over records to the American Civil Liberties Union, which had sued to obtain them.

"The best face you can put on this is that it was an egregious misapplication of resources," said Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat. "With all of the problems we have in the state of Maryland, I can't believe that the state police would be wasting time spying on folks who are opposed to the death penalty or war."

David Rocah, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Maryland, called on Gov. Martin O'Malley Monday to take the lead by introducing legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes in January to impose legally binding controls on the state police. Rocah said new laws are needed because internal guidelines - and promises from the Democratic governor that the spying has ceased in his administration - are not sufficient to curb abuses ...


Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-spying0721,0,5823677.story

[jtrockville]

1. Frankly, I expect such behavior from the feds in this administration

but I NEVER thought my state would participate in such shenanigans.

[MasonJar]

2. Good! What these policemen and women did was unconscionable.

[lala_rawraw]

3. i keep saying

this and now one is listening... get the names of the cops out in the open, so all their neighbors and their entire community knows who they are. do this every time it happens and soon enough, people will be too ashamed to participate.

[Quantess]

4. What a waste of police resources.

Not only was/is the spying wrong, it also diverted the police force from doing what they were hired to do: protect and serve. How about apprehending some real criminals instead?