Police want you to pay for their wire taps (Canada) | Globe and Mail

[Ediacara]

Police want you to pay for their wire taps

By JIM BRONSKILL
Canadian Press


Ottawa — Canada's police chiefs propose a surcharge of about 25 cents on monthly telephone and Internet bills to cover the cost of tapping into the communications of terrorists and other criminals.

The suggestion is intended to resolve a standoff between police forces and telecommunications companies over who should foot the expense of providing investigators with access to phone calls and e-mail messages.

Police say they cannot — and should not — be forced to pay the often hefty costs involved in carrying out court-approved wiretaps and message searches, warning that investigations will suffer if they are expected to pick up the tab.

“This is a very, very serious issue for us. It has a potential for really paralyzing operations,” said Supt. Tom Grue, a member of the law amendments committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

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[Maple]

1. Definition of this idea

'Snowballs chance in hell'

[Massacure]

2. Thats like saying people should pay for their own DNA test,

their own court fees, pay room and board at jails, need I continue?