NEWS: Freedom of Movement Could Cripple Cops, FBI Warns

[Tim May]

No comment needed.

>Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 12:13:18 -0700
>
>Freedom of Movement Could Cripple Cops, FBI Warns
>
> By Klaus Prime
>
>WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuter) - FBI Director Louis Freeh on Wednesday issued
>his sternest warning yet that freedom of movement by citizen units could
>wreak havoc on crime-fighting efforts.
>
>But travel industry participants warned that U.S. restrictions on freedom
>of movement, which would require citizen units to notify law enforcment of
>their travel plans and check in at police stations would merely boost
>travel to foreign countries which don't have such restrictions.
>
>Freeh urged Congress to promote the use of a type of "position escrow"
>that allows law enforcement agents to track the locations of terrorists,
>child pornographers, money launderers, and other thought criminals by
>using the position escrow data base. "Access to the position escrow data
>base would only be by legitimate law enforcement personnel," Freeh said.
>
>"Law enforcement is in unanimous agreement that the widespread freedom of
>criminals to move about freehly will devastate our ability to fight crime
>and prevent terrorism," the FBI director testified before the Senate
>Judiciary Committee.
>
>Freeh has spoken out numerous times against the unrestricted ability of
>citizen units to move about freehly, but his remarks Wednesday focused
>mainly on the threat to law enforcement efforts within the United States.
>
>Current laws place few restrictions on where citizen units may travel and
>live, except for parolees and sex offenders, and some scholars believe
>restrictions on U.S. citizens might be unconstitutional.
>
>Wednesday, 9 July 1997 17:45:40
>RTRS [nN09285032]
>