(9/25/2024 – Westfield) Following oral agreements heard by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts earlier this month centered around the Commonwealth’s wiretap statue, Senator John C. Velis continues his push to modernize the antiquated law. In 2023, Senator Velis introduced legislation to lengthen the time allotted that law enforcement agencies are able to utilize a wiretap when a warrant is granted and has provided support to other legislation to update the law.
Despite the evolution of technology and crime over the past 50 years, Massachusetts’ wiretap law has not been updated since 1968. Due to the nature of how crimes differed in 1968, the law limits prosecutor’s ability to seek a wiretap warrant unless it is specifically related to organized crime, a factor that prohibits law enforcement for seeking a wiretap in many cases. Additionally, if the wiretap is granted, state law also currently only allows law enforcement to utilize a wiretap for a very short period of time, often hindering longer and more complex investigations.
“It has been clear for quite some time now that Massachusetts’ wiretap statue is antiquated and as a result has seriously restricted law enforcement from investigating some of the most serious and heinous crimes occurring in our Commonwealth. Crimes like murder and rape are some of the most difficult to solve with traditional methods, and they are also terribly difficult for victims to publicly testify about when they may fear for their safety,” shared Senator John C. Velis. “While it is critical that we maintain a high standard for when a wiretap warrant is granted, we must take a serious look into how we can finally update this archaic statue to ensure that we are providing our law enforcement with the tools they need to address the landscape of crimes in our Commonwealth today.”
Velis shared that he will be paying close attention to the decision and comments of the Supreme Judicial Court on this case and intends to pursue legislation in the beginning of the next session to modernize the wiretap statue.
###