The more important lead story of this article is buried within the outcome story of ICE agents using a private license plate database to capture illegal aliens. First the headline story:

WASHINGTON – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been using over the past year a vast license plate database to identify the location of vehicles associated with immigrants who do not have legal status, according to documents released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
More than 9,000 ICE agents have been given access to the controversial database, which contains hundreds of millions of license plate scans from across the U.S., according to the documents obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act request. ICE employees are able to use the database to obtain information on where individuals have been and when they were there, with data going back as far as five years.

(more…)

(Via Truth Revolt) The outgoing Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley (D)—who also happens to be a possible 2016 presidential candidate—has commuted the sentences of the state’s remaining death row inmates.
Last year, Maryland’s death penalty was repealed, which O’Malley cited in a statement Wednesday as the basis for his decision:
“Recent appeals and the latest opinion on this matter by Maryland’s Attorney General have called into question the legality of carrying out earlier death sentences — sentences imposed prior to abolition,” O’Malley said. “In fact, the Attorney General has opined that the carrying out of prior sentences is now illegal in the absence of an existing statute. The question at hand is whether any public good is served by allowing these essentially un-executable sentences to stand.” (read more)

We’ve written about this new technological data gathering Automated License Plate Readers (APLR’s) more than once. In Maryland the use of APLR’s was linked to a Florida man who was pulled over and asked about his firearm, presumably through CCW records data-mined by third parties and sold to the Maryland data and intelligence hub.

Maryland authorities refused to provide records from our Public Records requests, citing the ambiguous “Ongoing Investigation” reasoning. Now here’s some information from a reporter in Virginia who requests her own records and finds out how much she is tracked.

 
VIRGINIA – The police know exactly where my car has been — and when — during the past few months.
They could have the same information — or more — about you.
As a part of my series on the use of automatic license plate readers in Virginia, I wanted to find out what kind of information local police might have. By law, the only information I’m privileged to is my own. (more…)

Original story/outline HERE –  First update HERE –  Second update HERE

The evolving story continues with MDTA trying to avoid sunlight:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

No recent story and/or research has attracted as much attention.   We have received dozens of requests by Maryland residents who are familiar with aspects to this story.  Each of them with a similar disposition and requesting our continued research.

Many more people within Maryland law enforcement, both current and retired, as well as people within the Maryland judiciary, appear to have some familiarity and knowledge over what the MCAC hub is all about  Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center. 

People inside the LEO intelligence network appear just as concerned as those outside it; they too want to see the process exposed.   However, unfortunately, as you can see, some do not.   Yes, this is what’s known as the all too familiar “active investigation” denial.