Florida Senate Panel Supports Search Protections to Electronics Devices
A Florida Senate panel supported requiring warrants for police searches of cellphones, other portable communication devices and smart speakers, except in emergencies. The Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-1 for SB-144 at a livestreamed Tuesday hearing. “Our founding fathers could not…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
have imagined a world in which we have Amazon Alexas and cellphones and GPS systems that are on our wrists,” said Vice Chair Jeff Brandes (R). Sen. George Gainer (R) voted no after asking, “Wouldn’t this bill interfere with the apprehension of pretty dangerous people?” Nobody on the committee opposed a bill to allow police to use drones for crowd control and traffic management. SB-44 wouldn’t allow police to use drones to collect evidence of violations, and the panel amended the bill to remove a section that would have allowed drones for monitoring crowds of 50 or more. There appeared to be some confusion about if the bill would allow drones to be used in high-speed chases. Sponsor Sen. Tom Wright (R) said he intended to allow police to send drones after escaping vehicles, but committee Staff Director Lauren Jones said the bill as written wouldn’t allow that.