While civil liberties groups and others get all steamed up about the Home Office’s consideration of the use of electronic handcuffs – a subject first aired in this spot in Another Place some five years ago, another American idea for applying information technology to the relentless fight against crime is worthy of attention: we all know from our TV watching how difficult it is for our heroes to get a search warrant signed in time for it to do any good, and now Newsbytes reports that Judge Kenneth Post in Hudsonville, Mississippi has come up with a plan whereby police will transmit warrant requests on drunk drivers to his home via modem; he can then review the data, call the arresting officer on the phone and instruct him or her to sign an affidavit supporting an arrest warrant – and it could be extended at a cost per judge – magistrate here – of a mere $6,500.
