ACLU of Maryland Response to Today’s
Maryland State Police Statement on Spying
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2008
CONTACT: Meredith Curtis, ACLU of Maryland, 410-889-8555; media@aclu-md.org
BALTIMORE – Today's statements by Maryland State Police Superintendent Terrence Sheridan do very little to assuage concerns about political spying by the Maryland State Police. According to Col. Sheridan the spying was undertaken solely in connection with the execution of Vernon Evans beginning in March 2005. This does not even begin to explain the surveillance of local peace groups. Nor does it explain how life-long pacifist Max Obuszewski came to be listed in the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA database as a suspected terrorist, or how the Baltimore Pledge of Resistance, a local peace group, came to be listed in the same database as a "security threat group."
In addition, through the attached e-mail records, the ACLU has uncovered evidence that state police agents were engaged in surveillance totally unrelated to Vernon Evans' execution, and at a date at least three months earlier than the date Col. Sheridan says the surveillance began. An undercover agent indicated in January of 2005 that she planned to attend a lecture by Bernadine Dohrn at Red Emma's Cafe and Bookstore in Baltimore's Mt. Vernon neighborhood.
Moreover, we are extremely troubled by Col. Sheridan's continued insistence that the state police did nothing illegal, when his statements today demonstrate just the opposite. According to Col. Sheridan the surveillance began because of fears about disturbances connected to the execution of Vernon Evans. Yet the documents he released provide no basis whatsoever to believe that any unlawful activity would take place, nor did the 14 months of surveillance reveal any. In addition, no unlawful activity took place in connection with the three other state executions referenced in the documents released today. In short, there was no basis to think there was any threat to public safety warranting an investigation of this type. Yet federal law prohibits entry of information about Americans’ political activities or views into criminal intelligence databases, which is precisely what the state police appear to have done.
For these reasons we believe that federal and state investigations are indispensable to ensure that all questions are answered and all of the surveillance is disclosed. Finally, Col. Sheridan's promises to put safeguards in place gives us little comfort. Col. Sheridan will not be Superintendent forever, and the fact that these events occurred demonstrates the need to have safeguards that are permanent and formal.
Click here to see the MSP documents and read further background about the case:
http://www.aclu-md.org/aPress/Press2008/071708_PeaceGroups.html
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