Maine State Police say a trooper was demoted because of concerns about his credibility, not because he reported what he believed to be illegal activity by the agency’s intelligence center.
That argument was the focus of a hearing in federal court Thursday to determine if the trooper’s lawsuit should proceed to trial. George Loder filed his complaint in U.S. District Court in May 2020, arguing that his employer demoted him and turned him down for a new position in retaliation for calling out illegal activity at the Maine Intelligence Analysis Center, which is overseen by the Maine State Police.
Even though Loder’s lawsuit is centered on the alleged retaliation, it includes claims that have focused scrutiny on the surveillance tactics of the state police intelligence unit, also known as a fusion center. His complaint accused the state of monitoring protesters who opposed the Central Maine Power corridor project and giving that information to a private company. He also said the surveillance center is using data from out-of-state license plate databases and gun-owner registries for unlawful purposes.
“What he was telling people is that the state of Maine is violating federal law when it comes to citizen privacy,” Loder’s attorney, Cynthia Dill, told the judge Thursday. “That’s an important thing that we just keep forgetting about. … My client has done a substantial public service in bringing these issues forward.”
The Maine Intelligence Analysis Center and Maine State Police,...
NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday alleged that the entire press conference conducted by Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi was based on material supplied by ...