Matt Ortega

In the year prior to the 2004 Republican National Convention, undercover New York Police Department officers “traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews,” reports the New York Times.

The Raw Story writes:

Records show that in hundreds files labeled “NYPD Secret,” the NYPD intelligence operations “chronicled the views and plans of people who had no apparent intention of breaking the law.”

The files included members church and anti-war groups, environmentalists, and even three New York City elected officials.

In some cases, records of lawful activities were shared with police departments in other states.

(Hat tip: The Raw Story)