DETROIT — The Michigan Intelligence Operations Center of Lansing opened five years ago and is now expanding into southeast Michigan, a plan that has renewed opposition. 

The so-called “fusion center” will be the second in the state and is said to aid authorities in assessing possible threats. Opponents say that privacy invasions and too much surveillance are strong concerns. 

Last year, Gov. Rick Snyder approved plans to add a Detroit location for disseminating information on “suspicious” behaviors and crime trends between state, local and national authorities. 

Federal aid is being offered to officials to move police officers to the center as well. 

Republican commissioner Jim Runstead is urging Snyder to establish a separate 10-member advisory board for the center’s Detroit hub in order to create more oversight. 

The Michigan State Police oversees the main center according to the Detroit News, which calls for a governor-appointed advisory board made up of residents, military, state and local police, attorneys and civil rights advocates.

The libertarian nonprofit Campaign for Liberty’s former coordinator David Dudenhoefer of Detroit says that the centers are too obtrusive and overreach their boundaries. 

The Detroit News said that according to various media outlets, the fusion centers have detained individuals over cell phones, suspicious looks and their support of presidential candidate Ron Paul.