HarrySchell
New member
From the Providence RI Journal:
POTUS can't have them to pursue jihadis, but when it comes to the local crackheads in a penny-ante state....
State Police, ACLU at odds over phone records legislation
May 14, 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Police departments would be able to obtain Rhode Islanders' telephone and Internet records without court review or a warrant under legislation pending before the General Assembly.
The Rhode Island State Police, which is pushing the legislation, said it is too time-consuming when investigating Internet crime to appear before a judge to get a warrant. But critics say the bills would infringe on citizens' privacy rights and do not guarantee that the records are needed for a legitimate purpose.
"It amounts to a wholesale invasion of Rhode Islanders' privacy," said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Under the legislation, any police chief, the state police superintendent and the attorney general would be able to issue subpoenas requiring companies that provide communications services to turn over names, addresses, local and long-distance telephone records and other information.
Though the police currently must receive a warrant from a judge before getting the records, the proposed legislation would do away with that requirement.
Craig Berke, a spokesman for the state court system, said a search warrant can typically be obtained in less than an hour and that the police are able to call judges at home if there's an urgent need at night.
The bills are pending before the House and Senate judiciary committees but may be revised. Identical legislation died in the General Assembly last year after sharp criticism from civil liberties groups.
Gov. Don Carcieri would not back a bill strongly opposed by civil liberties groups, spokesman Jeff Neal said, but has not taken a position on whether the police should be required to go before a judge to obtain the records
POTUS can't have them to pursue jihadis, but when it comes to the local crackheads in a penny-ante state....
State Police, ACLU at odds over phone records legislation
May 14, 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Police departments would be able to obtain Rhode Islanders' telephone and Internet records without court review or a warrant under legislation pending before the General Assembly.
The Rhode Island State Police, which is pushing the legislation, said it is too time-consuming when investigating Internet crime to appear before a judge to get a warrant. But critics say the bills would infringe on citizens' privacy rights and do not guarantee that the records are needed for a legitimate purpose.
"It amounts to a wholesale invasion of Rhode Islanders' privacy," said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Under the legislation, any police chief, the state police superintendent and the attorney general would be able to issue subpoenas requiring companies that provide communications services to turn over names, addresses, local and long-distance telephone records and other information.
Though the police currently must receive a warrant from a judge before getting the records, the proposed legislation would do away with that requirement.
Craig Berke, a spokesman for the state court system, said a search warrant can typically be obtained in less than an hour and that the police are able to call judges at home if there's an urgent need at night.
The bills are pending before the House and Senate judiciary committees but may be revised. Identical legislation died in the General Assembly last year after sharp criticism from civil liberties groups.
Gov. Don Carcieri would not back a bill strongly opposed by civil liberties groups, spokesman Jeff Neal said, but has not taken a position on whether the police should be required to go before a judge to obtain the records