Va. bills that would curtail police powers create a ‘weird alliance’

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Va. bills that would curtail police powers create a ‘weird alliance’

Virginia Politics

By Rachel Weiner February 18 at 9:27 PM
@rachelweinerwp

RICHMOND — Amid fear that new technology is handing police unprecedented power, an unlikely coalition of liberals and tea party conservatives in Virginia is trying to curtail the use of drones, license plate readers and wiretapping devices.

Lawmakers have passed several bills despite fierce law enforcement opposition — an unusual turn in a state where the General Assembly has historically embraced tough-on-crime measures, particularly in an election year such as this one. ... Members in both parties say the curtailments of police power are necessary because technological advances have outpaced the law.

The Ben Franklin Liberty Caucus, a bipartisan group formed last year, pushed several of this year’s bills. ... “We’ve got to get a handle on it, or we’re going to be living in a surveillance society,” said Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah).

“It’s a weird alliance,” acknowledged Del. Mark L. Cole (R-Spotsylvania), a conservative who sponsored legislation to limit civil asset forfeiture in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union and libertarian-minded tea party activists together lobbied lawmakers to support the bill.