The University of Baltimore Law Review and the UBalt Student Chapter of the Criminal Law Association co-host "Privacy Rights and Proactive Investigations: Emerging Constitutional Issues in Law Enforcement" symposium, on Thursday, March 28.
Emerging technologies and investigative techniques have spawned a new wave of opportunities for law enforcement as well as constitutional challenges for defense attorneys and prosecutors. The symposium will examine growing tensions between constitutional safeguards and effective law enforcement in Maryland and across the nation.
The symposium assembles leading scholars and practitioners to explore, through scholarship and debate, three issues that have thrust Maryland to the forefront of law enforcement: the validity of DNA databases, new approaches and the latest thinking on witness identification, and the use of tracking devices after United States v. Jones. All sessions will be moderated by Thiru Vignarajah, chief of the Major Investigations Unit at the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office.
The symposium will be held on Thursday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Venable Baetjer Howard Moot Court Room at the University of Baltimore School of Law, 1415 Maryland Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21201.
Panel 1: Location Tracking After United States v. Jones
(10-11 a.m.):
- Nancy Forster, former public defender for the State of Maryland
- Jason Medinger, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland
- Ann O’Connell, assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice
- Nancy Oliver, division counsel, Department of Justice – ATF
Panel 2: Innovations in Suspect Identification (11 a.m.-noon):
- Anthony Batts, commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department
- Frederick Bealefeld, former commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department
- Gregg Bernstein, state’s attorney for Baltimore City
- Rebecca Brown, director of state policy reform for the Innocence Project
- Michele Nethercott, director, University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic
Panel 3: DNA Database Laws and King v. Maryland (1-2 p.m.):
- Jessica Gabel, associate professor, Georgia State University School of Law
- Stephen B. Mercer, chief attorney, Forensics Division, Maryland Office of the Public Defender
- Rana Santos, DNA technician leader for the Baltimore Police Department
- Scott Shellenberger, state’s attorney for Baltimore County
- Katherine Winfree, chief deputy attorney general for Maryland
Learn more about the University of Baltimore Law Review.