POLICE GO TOO FAR IN UNDERCOVER STINGS, SSDP SAYS

Student activists are accusing University Police of violating
students' privacy with overly aggressive drug enforcement tactics in
the wake of several incidents in which officers posed as students or
drug dealers.

Undercover officers frequently patrol hallways in dorms searching for
would-be narcotics buyers, University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy
Atwell said. But the activist group Students for Sensible Drug Policy
said police crossed the line when an officer attempted to join their
Facebook group under an assumed name. The students discovered the
officer when they cross-referenced her e-mail address in the
university directory.

Atwell said she did not know of the Facebook incident SSDP mentioned,
but she defended officers' approach to busting students for drugs in
student housing.

"This has always been a tactic that we've used," she said, noting that
drug enforcement is a particular priority for University Police
because drug use often leads to other types of crime. "Our police are
committed to upholding the drug and alcohol policy. ... What's
unreasonable about upholding the law?"

The Diamondback confirmed the officer's identity after viewing the
notice of the officer's request to join the SSDP group and checking
her identity in the directory. SSDP also produced e-mail
correspondence with Facebook employees, who canceled the police
officer's Facebook account after finding the officer, whose name is
Julia Heng, was violating the social networking site's terms of
service by using the name Joy Oliver.

Heng did not return messages left at the University Police
station.

"[University] administrators should not be busting non-violent
offenders," said Anastacia Cosner, the president of the university's
SSDP chapter. "It's not even about the drugs. It's about freedom.
Iit's about privacy."

NORML Terps has joined Cosner regarding her concern, and they worry
police will continue to attempt to infiltrate their group, which is
primarily aimed at prompting change in policy. The groups said they do
not use illegal methods to reach their goals and do not deserve to be
under surveillance via social networking sites.

"Maybe they should be working on other types of crime instead of
busting students with small amounts of pot," Cosner said. "I mean, who
are they helping? This is not keeping me safe."

The Office of National Drug Control Policy has identified College Park
as part of a high-intensity drug trafficking area and has set up an
office in Greenbelt to deal with local drug traffickers, Atwell said,
and University Police have assigned an officer to work with the
office. The program combats drug trafficking by enhancing and
coordinating efforts among state, local and federal police agencies in
critical regions of the United States.

One student, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being the
subject of further legal trouble, said he was arrested in October
after police obtained information from a confidential source that he
was trafficking marijuana.

The student was arrested by a University Police officer in a sting
operation near the campus, during which a drug deal was supposed to
take place. According to court documents, after the student received
$1,050 in cash in exchange for one-quarter pound of marijuana, police
moved in to arrest the student. The charging officer was Heng, the
officer who attempted to join the SSDP Facebook group, court records
show.

"This is absolutely absurd," said the student, who added he is
receiving therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder because of his
arrest. "This has really thrown my life into the gutter for the last
couple of months."

The student, who was charged with possession of marijuana with intent
to distribute, mentioned that aside from therapy, he is required to
attend a drug rehabilitation program and has racked up about $6,000 in
legal bills.