http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1205/289503.html Since September 11, 2001, the federal government has opened up lines of communication between police agencies around the country. It's known as U.S. Patriot Act and it has created a great deal of controversy over the past few weeks.
Some say it's an infringement of rights, but one Saline County official says it makes his job a lot easier. Last week, the Patriot Act was extended until the end of January, when the U.S. Senate will vote to either extend it or make it permanent. Saline County Sheriff Phil Mask has been one of the state's more vocal proponents of the act.
(Mask) "The Patriot Act needs to be extended and needs to be a permanent thing for law enforcement..."
The Patriot Act was passed shortly after 9-11 and most Americans think that it only deals with foreign terrorists, but some of the provisions within the act are used to help local officials with the war on drugs.
(Mask) "The one thing we gotta look at is methamphetamine...how it destroys families, how it destroys this community and other communities around..."
The Patriot Act opened up communication lines between local law enforcement and federal agencies. According to Mask, the result is more arrests. He says if the act does not pass, it will set law enforcement back ten years.
-snip-
-------------------------------
sigh