Austin PD Lawyers Up Over Warrantless Surveillance Program

KXAN has picked up on Austin Energy/Austin Police warrant less surveillance program. It’s good to see the mainstream press involved. I hope they keep pressing until they get answers.

Next time an Austin Cop questions you, ask for a lawyer. That is what Austin PD did when asked about their Austin Energy customer data mining program. Here is the quote from KXAN

An APD representative agreed to talk to KXAN Austin News about using energy
usage information, but just before the interview, the agency got a call from its
attorneys, advising to refrain from commenting on the issue.

Disgraceful, yet sadly typical. Government always chooses the path of least disclosure. Austin PD is not different. Even more disturbing is the quote from Austin Energy.

“State law allows us to share information with other governmental entities, and
APD is, of course, a city department,” said Ed Clark of Austin Energy. ” And so,
really and truly, we wouldn’t have a basis on which to deny information to them,
and on the other hand, we are interested in assisting them.”

Only a bureaucrat, or a fool, could be proud of the disease, death, corruption, and mass incarceration caused by the drug war.

<img src="http://www.blogge says:

November 7, 2007 at 9:32 am

If it’s sooo legal and above board and nice and everything, then I would guess that the power co. wouldn’t need lawyers, and especially wouldn’t mind discussing the issue openly. Right?

<img src="http://www.blogger.c says:

November 7, 2007 at 4:16 pm

I guess they cannot blame this illegal spying on the Bush adminstration. Last time I checked the D. A. is a liberal democrat. What ever happenened to civil liberties? What”s next? Checking credit card statements to see if any minors are buying booze?Dennis

November 12, 2007 at 3:09 pm

Of course most governments, including our own, cannot resist the temptation to spy on their citizens when it suits government purposes. But America is supposed to be different. We have a mechanism called the Constitution that is supposed to place limits on the power of the federal government. Why does the Constitution have an enumerated powers clause, if the government can do things wildly beyond those powers– such as establish a domestic spying program? Why have a 4th Amendment, if it does not prohibit government from eavesdropping on phone calls without telling anyone?We’re told that September 11 th changed everything, that new government powers like the Patriot Act are necessary to thwart terrorism. But 9/11 does not justify ignoring the Constitution because the rule of law is worthless if we ignore it whenever crises occur.