Don’t Get Burned
A recent article from The Raw Story includes some disturbing information about the new face of domestic spies. The worst of it; the government is exploiting the people you should trust most in an emergency. They are now using firefighters and EMS providers.
While these two professions have been told for quite some time to be alert for terrorism, this is new. The new mission (Only in New York for the moment) is to report any expression of hatred of the government or discontent back to authorities. This could pose a number of ethical as well as legal issues.
Firefighters and EMT’s are not law enforcement. First, they have more important things to be doing, namely the jobs they already have. They should be alert to the dangers of terrorism so that they can do their jobs safely, not to be a new line of reporters to big brother. Second, they do not have the training to take on this sort of role. They are not experts on evidence, search procedure, or the laws regarding searches. Third, they can enter a home without a warrant for a number of reasons.
This poses both a risk to our privacy and security and to these hard workers themselves. It is already hard enough to be one of these brave men or women without worrying that the next house you show up to will be ready to attack you as a ’spy’ for the government.
Things must change. Put law enforcement back in the hands of law enforcement. And make sure what you tell those equally hard working police officers is part of the law.
