Bill > H1873

This bill amends Chapter 272 of Massachusetts General Laws to expand the legal framework for electronic surveillance by law enforcement, specifically focusing on intercepting wire and oral communications. The legislation introduces a new category called "designated violent offenses" alongside existing provisions for "designated organized crime offenses", which would allow law enforcement to use electronic surveillance more flexibly when investigating certain violent crimes. The bill specifically defines "designated violent offenses" to include several sections of Chapter 265 related to violent crimes. Notably, the bill eliminates the requirement for law enforcement to prove that normal investigative procedures have failed or are unlikely to succeed when seeking surveillance authorization for violent offenses, whereas this requirement remains for organized crime investigations. The bill's preamble acknowledges an increase in violence committed by small, loosely affiliated groups using modern technology, and argues that modern electronic surveillance tools, when strictly supervised by the judiciary, are necessary to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. The changes would modify multiple subsections of Section 99, primarily expanding the scope of when electronic surveillance can be legally employed to include investigations of violent offenses beyond traditional organized crime investigations.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1873