[Clips] Land Mine in Patriot Act Provision

[Jay Goodman Tamboli]

On 2006.02.12, at 18:52, R. A. Hettinga wrote:

>   A provision in the "Patriot Act" creates a new federal police  
> force with
>   power to violate the Bill of Rights. You might think that this  
> cannot be
>   true, as you have not read about it in newspapers or heard it  
> discussed by
>   talking heads on TV. However, it is a looming reality.
>
>   Go to House Report 109-333 - "USA PATRIOT Improvement and  
> Reauthorization
>   Act of 2005," and check it out for yourself.
>
>   Sec. 605 states the following:
>
>   "There is hereby created and established a permanent police  
> force, to be
>   known as the 'United States Secret Service Uniformed Division.'"
>
>   This new federal police force is "subject to the supervision of the
>   secretary of homeland security."
>
>   The new police are empowered to "make arrests without warrant for  
> any
>   offense against the United States committed in their presence, or  
> for any
>   felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have
>   reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has  
> committed
>   or is committing such felony."

The Secret Service Uniformed Division is not new (see http:// 
www.secretservice.gov/ud.shtml). You see them all over DC.

I don't know a whole lot about police powers, but can't a police  
offer arrest anyone if he has probable cause the person has committed  
a crime? Perhaps "reasonable grounds to believe" is different, but if  
the author doesn't know about a branch of law enforcement that has  
been in existence since 1860, I don't have much trust in his other  
information.

/jgt
-- 
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