Balt. Officials Take Stand Against Patriot Act
City Council Passes Resolution Against Patriot Act
POSTED: 8:19 p.m. EDT May 20, 2003
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore City Council is taking aim at the U.S. Patriot Act.
WBAL-TV 11 NEWS I-Team reporter David Collins reported that the City Council passed one of the most strongly worded resolutions in the country Monday night. The resolution is designed to protect the rights of city residents in the wake of federal laws passed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Baltimore City Council is taking a stand against the Patriot Act, sending a strong message to the Bush administration -- putting the government on notice that they don't approve of where the policy lines are being drawn, Collins reported.
Baltimore now joins 108 other jurisdictions across the country in officially expressing concerns about the Patriot Act. Although it does not carry the weight of law, the resolution offers guidelines to police and even city libraries.
Congress passed the Patriot Act to deter and to punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world. The federal law gives police broader power in electronic surveillance and search warrants it gives the FBI expanded access to private U.S. citizens records.
The law allows for the detention of immigrants suspected of terrorism or supporting terrorism for up to a week without formally filing charges.
The City Council resolution directs the Baltimore City Police Department to uphold the U.S. Constitution -- something police officials said they do any way.
According to one legal scholar, the message to police is to go easy on someone who may face immigration consequences if arrested, Collins said. The resolution asks that public libraries in the city post in prominent locations a warning to patrons that, under the U.S. Patriot Act, their library records may be obtained by federal law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the city library system said they are pleased that City Council is taking ownership of this issue. No one from the City Council presidents' office, nor the mayors' office, returned calls asking for a reaction to the resolution, Collins reported.
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