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The Pros And Cons Of The Patriot Act

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The Patriot Act provides the United States’ law enforcement agencies broad power in both domestic and international surveillance. This act was designed due to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. President Bush requested this act to the United States Congress which they passed on October 26, 2001. The act was put in place quickly to stop terrorist within the United States border and be able to apprehend and prosecute the terrorist before they are able to act ("Patriot Act."). The Patriot Act was established to prevent terrorist attacks however; the Patriot Act violates the Constitution making the Act illegal. The Patriot Act is supposed to improve “our counter-terrorism efforts in several significant ways” ("What Is the USA Patriot Web."). This act allows law enforcement the tools to investigate organized crime and law enforcement agencies to share information to improved cases. The Patriot Act made it easier for law enforcement to retrieve the evidence and the consequences for terrorist crimes stronger. For example, …show more content…

In 2007, a report by the Inspector General of the Justice Department stated they found “widespread and serious abuse of authority by the F.B.I under the Patriot Act” (Rosen, Jeffrey.). American citizens’ feared that the Patriot Act would be abused to search personal information like: emails, text messages, and phone calls. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, presented a new bill that would correct Section 215. The senator’s “amendment would have required law enforcement officials to demonstrate that the records were connected to terrorism before seizing them” however, President Obama did not persist that this change be made before he re-authorized the Patriot Act (Rosen, Jeffrey.). Overall, Section 215 has been manipulated unlawfully compared to the constitution therefore; the Patriot Act should be

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