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Advocacy Blog
Friday, July 18, 2008
Maryland State Police Accused of Spying on Peace Activists
The Washington Post reports that during the administration of former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., undercover Maryland State Police officers monitored the activities of activists against the Iraq war and the death penalty. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland released records with details of the monitoring which they obtained after suing the state police in June to obtain the data. "The civil liberties group learned in 2004 that a state police intelligence unit was monitoring Baltimore peace groups that had protested at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade that year. The records show that undercover agents collectively spent 288 hours on surveillance activities over 14 months from March 2005 until May 2006." The groups monitored include the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, and the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, a peace group that has been opposed the Iraq war. The surveillance reports were shared with numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the National Security Agency.
" The ACLU contends that the surveillance was illegal, even under broader powers the federal government gave law enforcement agencies after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But the police force defends its legality, and some legal experts said the program appears to be a constitutional tool available to authorities investigating threats to public safety."
Posted by Amanda Adams
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