Steve LeBlanc of the Associated Press reports:
Massachusetts lawmakers have failed to back a key recommendation from Attorney General Martha Coakley to toughen the state’s wiretapping laws as they push ahead with plans to license multiple casinos.
[…]
When Coakley unveiled her bill last year, she said the state’s wiretapping law needed to be revamped to give investigators the tools they need to probe the types of crimes the state might see if it allowed casino gambling.
Coakley’s bill would expand the range of crimes wiretaps can be used to investigate, including public corruption and ethics investigations.
It would also allow for one-party consent for wiretaps and extend the time a lawful interception can remain open from 15 to 30 days.
Read more in the Boston Globe.
It’s interesting that the legislature did not go along with her attempt to expand the ability of law enforcement to wiretap. Usually the “give us the tools we need” approach works.