Pubdate: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 Source: Tallahassee Democrat (FL) Copyright: 2003 Tallahassee Democrat. Contact: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/444 Author: Jere Moore PATRIOT ACT GIVES LEGITIMATE TOOLS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT Re: "Patriot Act draws criticism" (news article, Sept. 24). On the matter of searches without immediate notification of the owner, the delayed notification would have to be approved by a judge. According to the National Review, Sens. Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch sponsored the provision that allows delayed notification when the judge is convinced there is a risk of flight, injury to an individual, intimidation of witnesses, destruction of evidence or the serious jeopardizing of an investigation. The act gave law enforcement a tool to use against terrorists that has been used for years against drug lords and organized crime. As far as tracking computer activity, businesses drop cookies in computers to report on their use all the time. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk