Stephen Sachs

An independent review of the Maryland Surveillance Program released its findings on Wednesday.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Baltimore) joined former state Attorney General Stephen H. Sachs, and state police Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan to release the findings of the controversial spying program conducted by state police from March 2005 through May 2006.

The Maryland State Police could lose as much as $4.5 million in federal funding if an ongoing investigation reveals that its use of a criminal database to track peaceful activists violated federal rules, the Washington Times reports.

While the surveillance of the anti-death penalty and peace activists appears legal under state law, legal analysts tell the Times that "entering a Baltimore activist's name in the drug-trafficking and terror suspect database without apparent justification could violate 1970s-era regulations stemming from revelations of domestic spying by national intelligence agencies." Such a violation could cost the state its federal funding for police.

State Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chairman Brian Frosh (D-Bethesda) will hold a Sept. 16 hearing for testimony on the legality of the practice. Frosh says that if the practices are legal under state law, he will introduce legislation to outlaw them.

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Gov. Martin O'Malley has named former state Attorney General Stephen Sachs to head an independent review of the Maryland Surveillance Program.

The American Civil Liberties Union released documents over a week ago that showed state police had been conducting undercover surveillance on war protestors and death penalty opponents in Maryland during former Gov. Bob Ehrlich's (R-Baltimore) term in office.