Surveillance

ANNAPOLIS (AP) -- Maryland lawmakers have approved legislation designed to prevent authorities from violating First Amendment rights with covert police surveillance. The House of Delegates and Senate approved similar bills on Friday. Delegate Sandy Rosenberg, D-Baltimore, says the minor differences between the measures should be easily resolvable. The legislation was put forward in response to Maryland State Police surveillance that resulted in dozens of people wrongly being described as terrorists in a police database.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland claims in a court filing that Maryland State Police officials have not released all documents related to the 14-month infiltration or monitoring of anti-death penalty and peace activist groups. The ACLU filed a Public Information Act lawsuit against the state police in June that first detailed the surveillance operation. The state police's attorney, Sharon Benzil, says the suit is moot because all documents have been released and the plaintiffs waited too long to sue. However, ACLU attorney David Rocah says only summaries of the surveillance logs were released, not actual reports.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The congressman who heads the committee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security is asking for a review of the agency's involvement in Maryland State Police surveillance of anti-war and death penalty opposition groups. "The politically motivated surveillance of dissident domestic groups that have neither a link to terrorism nor promote violence is ... a deplorable use of taxpayer funds," Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

ANNAPOLIS (AP) -- A group headed by a former Maryland attorney general will examine state trooper surveillance of anti-war and death-penalty opposition groups to try to prevent such actions in the future, the governor said Thursday. Gov. Martin O'Malley called for the review, naming former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs to lead it. It will take 30 to 60 days and will examine state police practices over 14 months in 2005 and 2006, before O'Malley was governor. Sachs, who served as attorney general in the late 1970s and the 1980s, said the purpose of the review is "to discover the unvarnished truth about what happened and what didn't happen.

There is a deep and pervasive disease in the current presidential administration. Hope and Change has turned into Hype and Chance. In last Saturday's Herald-Mail, an AP article recounted the president's defense of our government's massive sweep of phone calls and Internet information. The article even took pains to refer to Obama as “a constitutional lawyer.” And I thought he was only a community organizer. It turns out that not only is he the president, but “a constitutional lawyer” to boot.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says it will file public information requests to determine if state police surveilled activist groups other than those it has already admitted to tracking. ACLU attorney David Rocah said Tuesday that the requests cover groups that advocate for a variety of issues, including two that have learned that they were under police surveillance. Rocah says the other groups may have been surveilled based on the reasons state police gave for the surveillance of the anti-war and death penalty opposition groups.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department's "toy hauler" does not tote fun and games. Purchased for $33,400 from Falling Waters, W.Va.,-based Outdoor Express RV Inc. about a year ago, the 2008 Wildwood RV, known for its recreational equipment-hauling capacity, is the department's new mobile command center. About $5,000 in surveillance video camera equipment recently installed in the vehicle monitored activities simultaneously in multiple areas of the Berkeley County Youth Fair grounds last week.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. ? Authorities believe they have solved the Christmas Eve 2002 theft of about $56,800 in cash, checks and food stamps from Weis Market in Martinsburg, thanks to an e-mailed, anonymous tip received last month. Former store employees Jason Wayne Butts, 27, of 542 Mesquite Lane, and Robert James Suchman, 54, of 740 Boy Scout Road, both were arraigned Thursday on charges of grand larceny and breaking and entering by Berkeley County Magistrate Jim Humphrey, according to court records.

Last week's question: An American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit revealed that a unit of the Maryland State Police spent 14 months in 2005 and 2006 doing surveillance on people who opposed the death penalty and the Iraq war. Is there any good reason for this? o People who get passionate about causes sometimes get violent. - 7 votes (6 percent) o You never know who's doing something wrong unless you watch them for a while. - 9 votes (8 percent) o No, it violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee that the people may peacefully protest government activities.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -The Borough of Greencastle will soon have a few eyes in the sky. In a unanimous vote Monday, the Borough Council accepted a bid to purchase a $5,742 video surveillance system from Bowers Home Security in Greencastle to monitor activity at Borough Hall, the police station and, perhaps in the future, the streets of the borough. Purchasing an expandable system large enough to support additional cameras was important to members of council. Councilman Craig Myers said the council would pay for the convenience of an expandable system, but that the initial expense could save the borough money down the road.

There is a deep and pervasive disease in the current presidential administration. Hope and Change has turned into Hype and Chance. In last Saturday's Herald-Mail, an AP article recounted the president's defense of our government's massive sweep of phone calls and Internet information. The article even took pains to refer to Obama as “a constitutional lawyer.” And I thought he was only a community organizer. It turns out that not only is he the president, but “a constitutional lawyer” to boot.

A surveillance system operated by the Hagerstown Police Department will have “smart-camera” technology featuring motion-activated capabilities and will allow officers to view the department's more than 100 cameras on laptop computers in their cruisers, Hagerstown Police Chief Mark Holtzman said Tuesday. The enhancements were made possible after Hagerstown City Council members Tuesday night approved a $162,043 expenditure for the new system. The money comes from a $900,000 COPS Tech grant that previously was awarded to the police department.

A Sharpsburg man charged last week with illegal possession of firearms is a "doomsday prepper" who told an undercover Maryland State Police trooper about an underground bunker and surveillance cameras on his property, according to a charging document filed in Washington County District Court. Terry Allen Porter, 46, of 4433 Mills Road, Sharpsburg, was charged Friday with seven counts each of being a convicted felon in possession of a rifle or shotgun and possession of firearms after being convicted of a disqualifying offense, court records said.

A coalition says it has gathered a wealth of helpful information about Washington County health-care needs. The Health Improvement Coalition's work hopefully will lead to positive changes, said co-chair Allen Twigg, the director of behavioral sciences for Meritus Health. The group capped a yearlong period of research by releasing a report on its findings on Thursday at Robinwood Professional Center. In January, the coalition - which includes representatives from several local health and social-service organizations - held a community health summit.

A Washington County Circuit judge this week granted a preliminary injunction to Wells House against the City of Hagerstown and the police department regarding a search of the drug treatment facility in an assault case. “The net of protection cast over an entity such as Wells House is quite broad,” Judge John H. McDowell said during Tuesday's hearing. Federal and state laws provide for the confidentiality of patient information in such facilities, he said. “My interpretation is that the judge's order simply refers to the records and tangible property taken with the search warrant,” City Attorney Bill Nairn said Wednesday.

A surveillance photo published in The Herald-Mail resulted in the arrest of a man suspected in an armed robbery and an attempted armed robbery, according to charging documents filed in Washington County District Court. Sean Eric Scott, 41, of no fixed address was charged with the robbery Saturday at the Motel 6 on Massey Boulevard and an attempted holdup on Friday at the 7-Eleven on Salem Ave., court records said. Scott also is charged with a Dec. 27 theft, court records said. Scott was being held Tuesday in the Washington County Detention Center on $1,007,500 bond on the three cases, the records said.

Martinsburg police say they have video-surveillance photographs of a man they believe is responsible for stealing copper tubing from several air-conditioning units. The thefts were reported Thursday at Oatsdale Little League Park, a business on Williamsport Pike and the Ebenezer Baptist Church at 615 W. Main St., according to a Martinsburg Police Department news release. The damage to the air-conditioning unit at the Williamsport Pike business was estimated at more than $2,500, police said.

Gov. Manchin tours new Morgan County Courthouse 5 Eastern Panhandle residents inducted into Order of the 35th Star BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- A hazardous-duty robot worth about $150,000 was donated Tuesday to the West Virginia State Police by Berkeley Springs Instruments (BSI) for use in the Eastern Panhandle. The owner of the robot, Berkeley Springs Instruments, was one of 10 businesses in Morgan County that received recognition Tuesday from West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III. A ceremony was held on the front steps of Citizens National Bank, but a robot demonstration for Manchin had to be canceled because of a mechanical problem with the robot's arms.

Hagerstown police have released video surveillance photos taken during an armed robbery Aug. 11 at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 802 Salem Ave. The robbery was reported at about 3:25 a.m., police said in a news release. A man entered the store, produced a handgun and took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register before fleeing the scene, police said. The man was about 20 to 25 years old and was wearing a black shirt and blue pants, according to the release.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department's "toy hauler" does not tote fun and games. Purchased for $33,400 from Falling Waters, W.Va.,-based Outdoor Express RV Inc. about a year ago, the 2008 Wildwood RV, known for its recreational equipment-hauling capacity, is the department's new mobile command center. About $5,000 in surveillance video camera equipment recently installed in the vehicle monitored activities simultaneously in multiple areas of the Berkeley County Youth Fair grounds last week.