Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/325356
Is privacy a bad thing? There are a few laws and judicial decisions indicating people have a right to privacy, but no constitutional amendment deals directly with the topic. We all know you need a warrant to tap a land- line phone. And most people understand the National Security Agency is recording cell phone calls to and from overseas. Fewer peo- ple have heard of the FBI's Carnivore pro- gram, which can track Internet usage. But any TV viewer knows the FBI can grab your garbage and pick through it for evidence, no warrant necessary. Even municipalities are butting in now. The City of Sarasota has a parking enforcement vehicle that automatically recognizes license plates and can check them against a data- base. Ostensibly, the software is looking for p a r k i n g s c o f f la w s , but it also checks for expired registration, stolen vehicles and — maybe — keeps a record of who is park- ing where. A covert Waste Management is stepping up its drivers' efforts to help law enforcement officers. Image courtesy of Wikipedia NEW GROUP OF CRIME FIGHTERS WASTE MANAGEMENT HAS TRAINED 155 DRIVERS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ILLEGAL OR SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR I will never look at a Waste Management truck the same way again. Mark Cunningham Assistant County Administrator Sarasota County By Stan Zimmerman City Editor