Jul 22, 2008 9:07 am US/Eastern
Legislators Plan Hearing On Police Surveillance
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ―
State lawmakers are planning a hearing before oversight committees after state police documents detailing state police efforts to spy on peace and anti-death penalty groups were made public.
Last week, state police turned over documents showing undercover officers infiltrated meetings of peace and anti-capital punishment groups for more than a year, spending nearly 300 hours on surveillance. The documents were turned over to the American Civil Liberties Union, which had sued to obtain them.
Sen. James Brochin, who sits on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, requested the hearing in a letter to committee Chairman Brian Frosh, who agreed to hold one.
In a letter to Frosh, Brochin wrote that he wants to know why the surveillance was seen as necessary and why oversight committees were not notified. He wrote that he wants to hear from former state police superintendent Tim Hutchins about why it happened and from current police superintendent Col. Terrence Sheridan to make sure it doesn't happen again.
At the hearings, which could be held in September, Frosh said he wants to question state officials about covert agents' infiltration of activist groups.
"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."
ACLU of Maryland attorney David Rocah wants Gov. Martin O'Malley to introduce legislation to impose legally binding controls on the state police. He says internal guidelines and the governor's promises that spying ceased in his administration are not enough.
"It will be important for the legislature to put in place controls that are binding to ensure that internal controls are, in fact, in place and to provide a mechanism to ensure they are, in fact, followed," Rocah said. "Because if there were internal controls in place here, they obviously weren't followed."
O'Malley has had lengthy discussions with Sheridan, the state police superintendent, and commanders in charge of investigations, said Shaun Adamec, a spokesman for the governor. The governor is confident that state police won't undertake surveillance without evidence of wrongdoing during his administration and that legislation isn't necessary at this point, Adamec said.
"While the state police need the tools and the resources necessary to legally investigate credible threats against public safety, the governor has been clear that any and all investigations that the state police conduct should be based on those credible threats," Adamec said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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